Gareth Bale risks being banned for playing for Tottenham while the Olympics are in progress – but only if England’s Football Association submits a formal complaint, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said yesterday.

Wales winger Bale was included in the Great Britain squad for the Olympic football tournament but withdrew last month after suffering a back injury during training.

However, he played for Tottenham and scored a goal in a pre-season friendly against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Tuesday.

Blatter said that if FIFA received an official complaint then the 23-year-old Bale could be banned from Spurs duty, including friendlies, until August 12.

Asked about Bale, Blatter said: “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.

“So far nobody came 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.”

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