City: Now De Jong is one of the most reviled players in Euro
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CONTRACT KILLER ... ruthless tackler De Jong is set to agree a new Man City dealMANCHESTER CITY hardman Nigel de Jong is in talks over a new contract at Eastlands.
The ex-Hamburg midfielder was dropped from Holland's squad for next week's Euro 2012 qualifiers after he broke the leg of Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa with a crunching tackle in Sunday's 2-1 win.
De Jong, 25, is under contract until summer 2013 but will get a pay rise on his £80,000-a- week wages and a longer deal.
He has had an excellent 18 months at City since being signed by ex-boss Mark Hughes.
But he has been in trouble before for his tough tackling.
In February, De Jong broke the leg of Bolton's USA star Stuart Holden in an international friendly.
And his chest-high tackle on Spain's Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final caused outrage around the world.
Despite this he is a cult figure at City with fans singing 'Oh when de Jong goes sliding in' to the tune of 'O when the saints go marching in'.
FLOORED ... Hatem Ben ArfaDutch boss Bert van Marwijk said: "I've seen it on TV and it was a wild challenge. I've a problem with the way Nigel unnecessarily searches for the limit. I'm going to talk with him."
Meanwhile, Newcastle want to keep on-loan Marseille ace Ben Arfa despite his shocking injury.
The midfielder, 23, had surgery yesterday and faces six months out.
Boss Chris Hughton said: "After playing only a handful of games for us, scoring a cracker at Everton and doing fantastically well, it's a devastating blow."
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Nigel de Jong dropped by Holland for 'wild and unnecessary' tackle that broke Hatem Ben Arfa's leg
Leg breaker: Nigel de Jong (right) broke the leg of Hatem Ben Arfa five minutes in Sunday's match with Newcastle
Bert van Marwijk said he had 'no alternative' but to drop Nigel de Jong from the Holland's squad after the Manchester City midfielder was involved in a tackle that left Newcastle winger Hatem Ben Arfa with a broken left leg.
The manager criticised De Jong for the reckless tackle labelling it 'wild and unnecessary' challenge.
The Frenchman, on loan at Newcastle from Marseille, suffered the injury after only five minutes at Eastlands and left the field on a stretcher, requiring oxygen to ease his discomfort.
The Magpies confirmed the injury to be a broken tibia and fibula of Ben Arfa's left leg.
In his newspaper colimn, Van Marwijk said: 'I've seen the pictures back. It was a wild and unnecessary offence. He went in much too hard. It is unfortunate, especially since he does not need to do it.
'The funny thing is that the referee did not even show a yellow card for it. Apparently, there are other standards.
'But I have a problem with the way Nigel needlessly looks to push the limit. I am going to speak to him.'
He later added in a statement: 'I just informed the squad and told them I saw no other possibility. In the near future I will discuss this matter with Nigel but right now we have to focus on the upcoming two matches.'
Previous: De Jong was widely
It is not the first time the 25-year-old has come under the microscope for his aggressive play, having caused Bolton's United States midfielder Stuart Holden a fractured right fibula on international duty in March and then got away with a chest-high challenge on Spain's Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final.
De Jong was last week named in Van Marwijk's Oranje squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Moldova and Sweden.
The World Cup runners-up, who picked up six points from their opening two Group E qualifiers against San Marino and Finland last month, take on Moldova in Chisinau on October 8 and Sweden four days later at the Amsterdam ArenA.
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He's an upgraded version of Michael Brown + Robbie Savage.
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Van Bommel backing De Jong
Netherlands captain Mark van Bommel has backed team-mate Nigel De Jong, claiming that he should not alter his game after he was dropped from the squad.The former Ajax midfielder has courted controversy in the past as he made a tackle which broke the leg of Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden in March and could arguably have been sent off in the World Cup final after a chest-high challenge on Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso. But Dutch skipper Van Bommel refused to criticise De Jong for his combative tackling.
''Nigel is and remains one of us,'' he told AD Sportwereld. ''We find this all very frustrating. It's very unfortunate that he has broken the leg of an opponent twice in six months.
''But I know Nigel as a sweet guy. He doesn't want to injure anyone but wants to win every match. That is his strength. Thanks to Nigel we reached the final of the World Cup. And now I hear people calling him a criminal. What a nonsense.''
Holland's physical style at the World Cup saw them widely criticised - most notably by Dutch legend Johan Cryuff - with Van Bommel and De Jong two of the men targeted.
Nigel De Jong has a reputation for making uncompromising tackles. However, Newcastle's Jose Enrique has insisted he should be banned for as long as Hatem Ben Arfa is injured.
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Manchester City fume at Bert van Marwijk's use of Nigel de Jong as a 'scapegoat'
Wild: Nigel De Jong flies in on Hatem Ben Arfa at Eastlands on Sunday
Manchester City are furious at the role of Holland coach Bert van Marwijk in making Nigel de Jong one of the most reviled players in Europe.
Van Marwijk has this week dropped the City midfielder from his country’s squad for two forthcoming European Championship qualifiers after De Jong’s tackle on Newcastle midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa broke the Frenchman’s leg on Sunday.
Last night, the pressure on De Jong continued to grow as Newcastle officially called on the FA to take action over the tackle - even though assistant manager Colin Calderwood has already said it wasn’t malicious - and there were calls in Holland for the 25-year-old to be dropped by his sponsors.
City believe the issue would have died down in this country had Van Marwijk not taken the extraordinary decision to publicly attack De Jong. The club feel that the Holland coach is merely trying to rebuild his reputation in the wake of his team’s brutally ugly play in July’s World Cup final loss to Spain in South Africa.
Controversy: Holland boss Bert van Marwijk dropped Nigel de Jong from this week's squad
A City source said last night: ‘What the Dutch coach has said has left us flabbergasted here. Nigel is being used as a scapegoat for things that happened to Dutch football in the summer.’
Referee Martin Atkinson saw De Jong’s seventh-minute tackle and did not give a freekick. This usually means the FA cannot take any retrospective action.
Last night Newcastle contacted the FA. A club statement said: ‘Newcastle United have today written a strongly worded letter to the Football Association in relation to the tackle by Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong on Hatem Ben Arfa.
‘The club has asked the FA for the appropriate action to be taken against De Jong for the tackle which, in the club’s opinion, was unnecessary and used excessive force.’
The call is doomed to failure because FA rules state that any retrospective action must take place within two days.
Last night City were reluctant to be drawn into a public slanging match with Newcastle, especially given that Ben Arfa is out for the season with a double leg break.
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isnt he a dirty player? the fouls he committed were atrocious.
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should fine de jong sia.
