Bendtner given six-month ban from national football team

Juventus striker will be charged after being caught drunk driving in Copenhagen and could face three million kroner fine

Nicklas Bendtner has been told by the Danish football association DBU to use the next six months to “think long and hard” about his future on the national side.

DBU’s statement this afternoon arrived once it was confirmed that the Juventus striker would be charged after being caught driving drunk and against the flow of traffic in Copenhagen's city centre on Saturday night.

According to Ekstra Bladet tabloid, he had a blood alcohol level of around 0.15 percent, which means he risks losing his licence and receiving a massive fine of around three million kroner.

In the press release, DBU stated that it had in the past removed players from the national team while the players served a sentence.

“DBU respects every player’s right to a private life but we still have some rules and expectations about how players on the national team behave in public,” DBU stated. “The behaviour of players on the national team should at a minimum abide by society’s rules.”

DBU stated that the manager of the national team, Morten Olsen, agrees with DBU’s position. This in effect means that Bendtner will not be selected for the team for the next six months.

Bendtner, who is currently injured, may be allowed to rejoin the team after the six-month ban, and once Olsen thinks he is ready.

The ban means he will miss matches against Armenia and Poland on June 11 and August 14 respectively. 

Bendtner took to Twitter to apologise for his actions.




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