Dutch drop De Jong after Ben Arfa leg break

Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong has been dropped from the Dutch squad after breaking Hatem Ben Arfa’s leg in a match against Newcastle, Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk announced on Monday.

“I personally informed the player of this decision,” van Marwijk told the ANP news agency. “I also explained it to my players before training.”

Van Marwijk has criticised de Jong for his aggressive play on a number of occasions, notably after recent friendly matches 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.