SCOTLAND assistant manager Terry Butcher has defended the timing of Wednesday night's B international against Northern Ireland.
The game at Broadwood Stadium comes in the same week as the final Old Firm derby of the season, and just 24 hours before Clydesdale Bank Premier League games involving Hearts, Hibernian, Aberdeen and Dundee United.
That has left manager George Bur
ley with only one player from the top six clubs in the SPL in his squad – Rangers fringe forward Steven Naismith – sparking accusations Wednesday's match is meaningless.
Writing in his column in a Sunday newspaper, Inverness manager Butcher said: "The usual prophets of doom have been rattling their gums about this week's B international against Northern Ireland. They say the game should never be played at this stage of the season and claim it's a worthless exercise.
"Actually, as it's the first such match of its kind under George Burley, this is a good opportunity for him to see what is below the senior level and assess candidates for the top team.
"It gives us a great chance to have a look at players like Motherwell's David Clarkson, Norwich keeper David Marshall and the newly-discovered George Boyd, who has been banging them in for Darren Ferguson at Peterborough.
"The scarcity of suitable dates for internationals means any chance to view Scottish talent in a competitive game should not be passed up – yet the familiar knocking of George and the Scotland team continues.
"There has been more criticism and bitterness directed towards the Scotland coach than was given to England's Steve McClaren after the 'Mary Poppins umbrella' incident."
Wednesday's game is Burley's final chance to see Scottish players in international action before August's crucial World Cup qualifier in Norway.
Butcher added: "I hope the public can see why World Cup qualifiers in June would have been a disaster for the country. The Championship – where a large number of Scottish players ply their trades – ends today, a full five weeks before the other countries in our group finish their league campaigns."
Meanwhile, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said that world football's executive committee wants to limit the Olympic tournament to players under 21 years of age.
Despite earlier reports that FIFA wanted to set the age limit at 20, Blatter said the extra year would allow the teams that qualified for the Under-20 World Cup to compete in the Olympics the following year.
"If this (proposal) goes through, we will use the qualification in the Under-20 (World Cup) ... and then the best teams will play in the Olympics," said Blatter during a visit to inaugurate new training grounds in Hungary.
The Under-20 World Cup has been played every two years since 1977. Egypt will host the tournament this year and it is set to be played in Colombia in 2011, a year ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Blatter also said that from 2010, FIFA would present a yet to be determined award at its annual gala named after Hungarian football legend Ferenc Puskas.
The full article contains 513 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
