 | N IRELAND v AZERBAIJAN Kick-off: 1500 BST, Saturday 3rd September Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Live coverage on BBC Radio Ulster and this website |
Lawrie Sanchez has denied there is a discipline problem in his Northern Ireland squad after Jeff Whitley and Philip Mulryne were ordered home. They were told to leave the side's training camp after breaking a curfew and will miss the World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and England.
"They broke a curfew everybody else was abiding to," said Sanchez, who would not reveal details of the incident.
"It breaks down team cohesiveness but no, there isn't a problem in the camp."
Sanchez was furious the duo returned to their hotel in County Antrim in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
"The trouble is if you have individuals in organisations doing their own thing, then when push comes to shove eventually they do it on the field of play, and perhaps they should be doing something else.
"In fact I think the camp would prefer to have discipline within it."
|  I am not saying it is the end. You know people make mistakes |
Sanchez hasn't ruled out recalling Mulryne and Whitley for future squads.
"They will have to go back and reassess what happened," he added.
"I will have to go away and reassess what happens after the games. We will both make decisions based on that.
"I am not saying it is the end. You know people make mistakes.
"I have got to say with regards to Jeff on the field he has done well for me.
"Phil has not been such a regular, although he has been part of the squad, but Jeff has done well and that makes it even more disappointing for me that he isn't here.
"It is sad it has happened. It is sad that those players put themselves in that situation and put myself in that situation but the decision has been made."
| It is not something that you do lightly |
Sanchez added that he had imposed the "ultimate sanction" on the duo.
"I think they are a little bit shocked.
"It is something that is always remembered and it is not something that you do lightly but I felt at the time, in what was a big week for us, that we needed everybody to be disciplined or professional about what they are doing."
Despite the incident, Sanchez insisted morale ahead of the clash with Azerbaijan was good.
"It's another must-win," he said. "I think it's our seventh must-win game and hopefully it will become a win game.
"Hopefully on Saturday we will be celebrating our first competitive win for four years at home."
Sanchez has called up Hibernian's hat-trick hero against Rangers, Ivan Sproule, Motherwell striker Andy Smith and Burnley's defender Michael Duff.
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