England may revive B internationals

England want to play a B international against Belarus to give vital match practice to some of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s World Cup squad.

The Football Association are in talks with their Belorussian counterparts with a view to arranging the game on May 25, in or near London.

FIFA confirmed this week that countries would not be allowed to use more than six substitutes in their World Cup warm-up matches.

But Eriksson believes it is vital for some of his fringe players to have a game under their belts before the tournament starts in Germany on June 9 and is planning the first England B game for six years.

The England manager explained: “The season finishes for most players on May 7 and FIFA have not said yes to our proposal to use as many players as we want in the friendly games.

“So we could come to the World Cup with players not seeing any football since May 7.

“It’s not going to the best team but those players who have been sitting on the bench.”

England have not played a B international since April 1998, when Matt Le Tissier scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Russia at Loftus Road.

It was not enough to get Le Tissier a place in Glenn Hoddle’s World Cup squad for France 98.

Chris Sutton’s England career effectively ended in the same year, after just one cap, when he refused to be part of one of Hoddle’s B squads.