Wales shocked after Parry quits

12:36pm Monday 8th September 2008

Paul Parry has dramatically quit the Wales squad and will not be on the plane that heads to Moscow for Wednesday's World Cup clash with Russia.

The 28-year-old Cardiff forward informed Wales boss John Toshack, at the team hotel on the outskirts of the Welsh capital, that he was retiring from international football with immediate effect.

Wales will not call-up a replacement, even though - as expected - Jason Koumas has withdrawn from the trip due to his persistent ankle problem.

Parry had only just returned to the squad having been omitted for 17 months due to personal reasons.

Those reasons were a protracted divorce which left the former Hereford player feeling he was unable to commit his time to international football.

But the latest shock exit, it is believed, is because Parry confronted Toshack and claimed he felt he should have been involved in Saturday's 1-0 win over Azerbaijan at the Millennium Stadium.

Toshack had decided that he would use Parry as a lone striker in Moscow, leaving out Robert Earnshaw and deciding against playing the youthful Ched Evans or Sam Vokes in that role.

Parry was a key figure in Cardiff's run to the FA Cup Final last season, and only last week said he "wanted to repay Toshack" for standing by him during the difficult months of his divorce.

Toshack accepted Parry's position, and when he felt able to return to the fold, immediately put him into the side against Georgia.

Parry's team-mates have been left stunned by the outburst - he left the team hotel on Sunday night - but the Georgia game looks like it will be the last of his 12 caps, having made his debut against Scotland in 2004.

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