Ryan Giggs to miss Wales' next three games after bail extended

[ASFN Admin]

Welsh preparations for the European Championships have been thrown into turmoil after manager Ryan Giggs had his bail extended until May 1, only six weeks before their first game of the tournament. Giggs was arrested on suspicion of assault in November, leading to him stepping aside from his country’s three matches later that month. He has denied the allegations. Giggs is cooperating with the police and will continue to assist them with their ongoing investigations. The Welsh FA will now have to make a decision over who takes charge of the side for their upcoming fixtures in March, which include World Cup qualifiers against Belgium and the Czech Republic. Assistant manager Robert Page stepped in for Giggs last year and the expectation is that he will be asked to do so again. However the situation is not helped by the uncertainty at the top of the FAW, where chief executive Jonathan Ford was this week the subject of a vote of no confidence. It was hoped that the Giggs situation would have been resolved in time for the World Cup qualifiers in March but the FAW will now have to make another decision on how to proceed, with their opening Euro 2020 match against Switzerland due to take place on June 12. In a statement on Friday, a Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "A 46-year-old man (now aged 47) arrested on suspicion of section 39 common assault and section 47 assault in November 2020 has had his bail extended until Saturday 1 May 2021. "This relates to an incident reported to police at 10.05pm on Sunday 1 November 2020 on Chatsworth Road, Worsley. A file remains with the CPS and a decision is expected in due course." There is less than a month until Wales take on Belgium on March 24, with matches against Mexico and the Czech Republic to follow later that week. They will therefore need to name a squad soon and put into place their preparations for the two World Cup qualifiers. In the absence of Giggs, Page oversaw the national side’s promotion in the Nations League as they beat Finland in November. Page had previously said that Giggs would only be “a phone call away” during those international fixtures, in case the coaching staff wanted his input about team or tactical matters. After the Finland match, Page said he had spoken to Giggs “straight away” following the final whistle and added that the absent manager was “extremely proud” of his players.

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