De Jong went too far, says van Marwijk

Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk on Wednesday justified his decision to drop Nigel de Jong over his leg-breaking challenge on Hatem Ben Arfa by saying the defensive midfielder had over-stepped the line.

“Nigel really went too far,” van Marwijk told the ANP agency.

“It’s a shame. There are only losers in this affair: Ben Arfa has a double fracture. Nigel has also lost out. And I can no longer call on a player who was in great form for two very important matches.

“That said, I didn’t hesitate for long before making my decision (to drop de Jong from the squad).”

Van Marwijk has criticised Manchester City’s de Jong for his aggressive play on a number of occasions, notably after friendly matches this year against Japan and Paraguay.

The defensive midfielder was also widely considered fortunate to have escaped punishment for a chest-high foul on Xabi Alonso during the Netherlands’ 1-0 defeat by Spain in the World Cup final in July.

French international winger Ben Arfa was stretchered off following a heavy challenge by de Jong after four minutes of Newcastle’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at City on Sunday.

Newcastle later announced that the 23-year-old, who is on loan from Marseille, had broken the tibia and fibula of his left leg and is therefore likely to miss much of the rest of the season.

De Jong was not penalised for the challenge.

The Netherlands take on Moldova on October 8 and Sweden on October 12 as part of their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

De Jong’s place in the Dutch squad has been taken by FC Twente’s Wout Brama.