Man City boss Manuel Pellegrini hits out at Belgium for playing Vincent Kompany
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has hit out at Belgium after captain Vincent Kompany featured in their final Euro 2016 qualifier this week.
Kompany was called up for international duty despite missing City's last five games with a calf injury.
Pellegrini had insisted that his influential skipper would not be fit for either of the games against Andorra or Israel but Belgium coach Marc Wilmots fielded him in the latter.
The 29-year-old came through 58 minutes of action unscathed but Pellegrini was not happy, even though he accepts Wilmots acted within his rights.
Pellegrini said: "I was not pleased because we sent Vincent with some medical report that he was not able to play but, as the manager of Belgium said, he can do what he wants in the international break. He can use the players and he wanted to use him.
"But for me, when you don't send a player to the national squad and you cannot use him for your club, I think the other sense must be the same. If a player didn't play the last three games for his club he cannot play for the national squad.
"But these are the rules. I think some day clubs will protest about that."
Barclays Premier League leaders City have lost a trio of key players for Saturday's clash against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.
Striker Sergio Aguero (hamstring) faces at least a month out while left-back Aleksandar Kolarov (leg) and playmaker David Silva (ankle) will be sidelined for a fortnight after a costly international break.
Gael Clichy (ankle) and midfielder Fabian Delph (hamstring) are still out.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe will continue to juggle his team's injury problems.
Following surgery on an ankle injury, captain Tommy Elphick became the latest absentee and will remain unavailable for at least the coming eight weeks.
Defender Tyrone Mings, forward Callum Wilson and winger Max Gradel are also all injured, and likely for the entire season, and while midfielder Harry Arter is nearing a first-team return, Saturday is expected to come too soon for him.
Sylvain Distin has promised he will celebrate passionately if he scores for Bournemouth at former club Manchester City on Saturday.
The defender played for City for five years from 2002 but, despite possessing fond memories of his time there, he said he has no intention of hiding his emotions if he can score for a club he joined five months ago.
Distin has sometimes received a poor reception at City after he chose to leave the club for Portsmouth on a free transfer in 2007, but he has no intention of extending a growing trend of players who refuse to celebrate against their former clubs.
Distin believes that would be unfair on the fans of his current employers.
"I never understand why you should not celebrate, especially as I don't score many goals," said Distin, 37. "If I score I will go crazy.
"If you celebrate does it mean you disrespect your old team and if you don't do you disrespect the team you play for now?
"If I score I will celebrate. I always did and always will.
"The first few years I had a mixed reception (at City) because of the circumstances (under which) I left the club. My dad always said if they boo you they love you.
"It is a big game for us because we play against a team that will possibly win the title but for us it's just a Premier League game."
Source: PAR
