The highly rated Welshman withdrew from Great Britain's squad just before the final party – which he was certain to make – it was announced.

He cited injury yet travelled with Spurs at the weekend for their North American tour and both played and scored in Tuesday's (July 24) 1-1 draw against LA Galaxy, David Beckham's current club.

Blatter, here both to attend the Olympic football tournament and in his capacity as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) , said FIFA could take action if there is an official complaint.

"The principle is that if a club does not release a player then this association can come to FIFA and we will then ban this player during the duration of the Olympics," Blatter said.

"So far nobody has come to FIFA to say we should but it is a possibility we could ban these players if they are not at the disposal of the national team."

Tottenham's Gareth Bale challenges LA Galaxy's Sean Franklin for the header

FIFA recently surprised European clubs by deciding that the Olympics were, for the first time, part of the international calendar and that therefore it was mandatory for clubs to release under-23 players.

But it is highly unlikely any complaint would be made against Bale since the Welsh Football Association is not affected.

Team GB is the responsibility of the British Olympic Association (BOA) as distinct from any of the four British associations and coach Stuart Pearce is concentrating on Thursday's tricky opener against Senegal.

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