Dudek slams World Cup omission

Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek thought it was a “joke” when he first found out he had been left out of Poland’s World Cup squad.

Dudek was not among the 23 Polish players selected for the trip to Germany with coach Pawel Janas preferring instead to include Artur Boruc, Lukasz Fabianski and Tomasz Kuszczak as his three goalkeepers.

Dudek’s omission was a major surprise, not least to the player himself who claims Janas had told him he would be included in the squad.

“I talked with him a few days before he announced the names of the players, and he assured me that I would play in Germany,” said Dudek, who lost his first-team place at Anfield following the arrival of Jose Reina last summer.

“I was sure that I would play at World Cup 2006 because I have never played poorly for my national team. Then I heard that I was not on the list.

“At the beginning I thought that is a joke. I don’t understand why he did that to me.”

Poland have been drawn with hosts Germany, Ecuador and Costa Rica in Group A.