FIFA president Sepp Blatter has revealed Gareth Bale could be prevented from playing for Tottenham for the duration of the Olympics.
The Wales international was ruled out of Stuart Pearce's Great Britain squad due to injury, but featured and scored in Spurs' 1-1 friendly with LA Galaxy on Tuesday – just two days before the men's Olympic football is due to get underway.
Blatter has suggested that should the FA or British Olympic Association launch a complaint to football's world governing body, the 23-year-old may be banned from featuring for his club side until August 12.
Blatter said: "The principle is that if a club does not release a player then this association can come to FIFA and we will then ban this player during the duration of the Olympics.
"So far nobody came to FIFA to say we should, but it is a possibility we could ban these players if they are not at the disposal of the national team.
"They complain and then we say let this player go or he cannot play for the club. FIFA's position has never been so clear than it is now for the Olympics 2012 and 2016."
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