England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson was today left with another pre-match controversy after Alan Smith was sent home just a few hours after being called up.
Eriksson's squad threatened to go on strike following the enforced exclusion of Rio Ferdinand from England's Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey last month.
Now the England coach will be nervously awaiting the reaction of his leading players to the news that Smith's emergency call-up had lasted less than 12 hours.
Eriksson resolved to call up the 23-year-old Leeds striker yesterday after his decision to allow Darius Vassell to take part in a friendly for Aston Villa in Dubai backfired when he injured his knee.
But before Smith joined the squad in Manchester ahead of Sunday's friendly against Denmark, he was questioned by police over allegations that he threw a bottle into the crowd at Elland Road last month.
A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police said Smith, who was released on bail, would have to return to a police station at a later date and a file would be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The timing nevertheless caused obvious embarrassment for the FA, who apparently did not know about Smith's interview before his arrival with the squad.