Football: Brown to enforce five-day option

CRAIG BROWN is to take a tough line to ensure Scotland's Euro 2000 ambitions are not wrecked by late withdrawals. The Scotland manager has seen a number of recent squads badly weakened by call-offs, resulting in the embarrassing 1-1 draw against the Faroe Islands last month.

With qualification for next year's European Championship hinging on matches against Bosnia and Estonia over the next couple of months, Brown will enforce the five-day rule - without exception.

"I noticed that our opponents in the recent matches against Germany and the Czech Republic were at full strength," Brown said. "The reason was that the `five-day rule' is rigidly applied, even for players with foreign clubs, and the national associations make the clubs aware of this."

Under no circumstances will Scotland allow any player to break the ruling, and anyone who withdraws from the squad will be barred from playing for their clubs five days after the international for which they have been selected.

Scotland have four European Championship qualifiers left, and Brown's stance will mean that the Premier League programme scheduled for 2 October will be subject to postponement.

"We have been liaising with the Scottish Premier League about this, and there is no fall-out with either party," said Andy Mitchell, the Scottish Football Association's spokesman. "Craig just wanted to make his feelings plain to avoid any misunderstanding at a later stage. The stance he is taking is in the wider interests of Scottish football."

Brown has dashed Richard Gough's hopes of an international recall after reportedly suggesting that the 37-year-old former Rangers defender could figure in his Euro 2000 qualifying plans if he made himself available for selection.

However, Brown said: "I will be going down to England at the start of the season to watch both Blackburn and Everton. Blackburn have four members of my squad in their team, while Everton have five.

"Scot Gemmill, David Weir, Alec Cleland, Don Hutchison and John Collins are all in my thoughts. Richard Gough is also at Everton now, and it will be nice to get in touch with him again. But talk of him being picked for Scotland again is wide of the mark."