Nagoya Grampus won’t release striker Kennedy for the Socceroos’ East Asian Cup campaign.
Australia will have to do without Josh Kennedy for the East Asian Cup after Nagoya Grampus refused to grant his release, Fox Sports Asia understand.
Kennedy was named in Holger Osieck’s 24-man provisional squad for the tournament, which kicks-off in South Korea this weekend, with the Socceroos head coach hoping Nagoya would have a change of heart and permit the towering striker to play.
Unfortunately for the 30-year-old his J-League employers have come out on top in the tug-of-war for his services.
Dragan Stojkovic’s side are currently battling to pull away from the relegation mix and Kennedy is viewed as a key player, especially after opening their scoring in an crucial 3-2 win over Sagan Tosu last week.
Nagoya’s stance has angered Osieck, who spoke of difficulties raised at calling up players from overseas clubs in an interview with Sky Sports on Tuesday.
“The foreign clubs created a lot of problems,” he fumed.
“I understand the games are not FIFA protected but there is a gentleman’s agreement between the competing countries that players from the respective leagues should be released to play.
“If you host a tournament like this, for me it’s a no brainer that players are released.”
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