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| Duo reject Tunisia recall |
1/10/2007 |
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Mourad Teyeb
BBC Sport, Tunis
Trabelsi (left) and Jaidi retired from international football in June
England-based defenders Hatem Trabelsi and Radhi Jaidi have turned down a call to return to the Tunisia national team.
The duo retired from international football after the World Cup in Germany in June.
A delegation from the Tunisia Football Federation, led by the president Ali Labiedh, met the players in England this week to try to convince them to rescind their decision.
The Carthage Eagles were hoping to include the players to boost their chances of qualifying for the 2008 African Nations Cup but the delegation say the duo declined to return.
Trabelsi, who plays for Premiership side Manchester City, insists he wants to focus on his club career.
"I am not changing my decision, I would like to focus only on my career as a club player," Trabelsi said.
"I have no more interest in playing for Tunisia."
Jaidi, who plays for Championship club Birmingham City, was capped 92 times by Tunisia, for whom he scored six goals.
The last of these salvaged a 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia at the World Cup, gaining the Tunisians their only point in the group stages in Germany.
Trabelsi has been a mainstay of the Tunisian team since his debut in 1998.
He played in three World Cups and helped Tunisia win the African Cup of Nations in 2004.
He has won 61 caps and scored one goal.
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