Absent Bellamy still centre of attention as Wales lose

THE thorny subject of Craig Bellamy's international career overshadowed Wales' latest efforts after they were beaten 1-0 by Sweden last night.

Bolton's Johan Elmander grabbed the only goal of a low-key friendly at Swansea's Liberty Stadium on the stroke of half-time.

It was a victory Sweden deserved but Wales showed tenacity in the second half and, driven forward by Gareth Bale, might have forced a draw with Robert Earnshaw twice going close.

Yet it was Manchester City striker Bellamy who commanded most attention after the match, as manager John Toshack refused to answer questions about his absence. Bellamy, still officially the Wales captain, was overlooked for the fixture as Toshack suggested the 30-year-old would no longer feature in friendlies.

Yet Toshack's failure to state whether Bellamy would return for the start of Euro 2012 qualifying in September has led to plenty of speculation. When asked what his position with Bellamy was, Toshack said: "No comment whatsoever."

When pressed further and asked whether Wales had missed Bellamy, Toshack chose to highlight other missing players such as Aaron Ramsey, Joe Ledley and David Edwards.

Bellamy has missed Wales' last three matches and failed to report for training ahead of a friendly against Montenegro last August. City accepted the blame at the time for that situation for failing to inform Wales about an injury.