THERE'S an easy way for the FA to win the club v country international battle which sees players pulled out of national squads with fictional injuries immediately after their previous domestic match.

Force them to join up with the squad, undergo a fitness test and if it materialises their manager was not telling the truth about their fitness, ban them from the next international match.

The hilarity among the assembled national media at Old Trafford straight after the Manchester derby when Alex Ferguson reeled off a list of players who were doubtful for the midweek internationals summed up the cynicism and scepticism people have about this situation.

In the same week Terry Venables added to the farce that exists when managers have the final say about who plays for their international sides. The Leeds boss - who, as a former international manager should set a better example - wanted Harry Kewell to miss Australia's game against England claiming he was not fit. But his player made a mockery of the plea by not only playing for a full hour but scoring a brilliant goal and destroying England with a man of the match performance.

The problem we have is that the power to pull players out of international sides lies with the club managers. And let's face it, Liverpool, United and Arsenal provide most of England's players and two French men and a Scot are hardly going to have any sleepless nights worrying about ruining England's chances of glory.

The real power in football, if they choose to use it, belongs to the top players, backed by their posse of representatives, of course, and, if they were faced with being banned for important England games they would be less likely to blindly follow their manager's orders to play possum.

No England player would want to miss playing Argentina or Germany. The FA moan about the club v country problem but they can solve it if they are brave enough.