Pregnant White to miss Olympics

ENGLAND women’s captain Faye White will miss this summer’s Olympics after announcing she is pregnant with her first child.

The 34-year-old Arsenal defender, who has 90 caps, admits her international career is now almost certainly over. “I’m pregnant and I’m going to be a mum for the first time in October,” White said on www.thefa.com. “I have spoken to [England coach] Hope [Powell] and this will more or less signal the end.”

White, whose career has been hampered by injury since she made her debut against Scotland in 1997, has captained England at two World Cups and two European Championships.

“I have had 15 or 16 years with England and I think this was always going to be my last year,” added White. “Having made that decision after the World Cup [last year] I picked up yet another injury and had to have keyhole surgery on both my knees, which has been quite a struggle to come back from.

“Basically my international career will be over now. For now, I just want to enjoy the news and see how I feel about everything. If there is ever a reason not to be playing, then this is probably the best one.”