Everton's Steven Pienaar and Free State Stars' Kennedy Mweene are likely to come under the spotlight this weekend following a call to Fifa to investigate if players who missed this week's international friendlies line up for their clubs this weekend or in games next week.

"Theoretically, if you do not play in the national team, you cannot play in the game after in the championship - that is the rule," Arsenal's Arsene Wenger disclosed yesterday.

Pienaar failed to arrive for Bafana's match against Cameroon and Safa are demanding medical evidence of the midfielder's alleged injury.

Zambia have already reported Ea Lla Koto to Fifa. They claim everything was in place for the player to join the Chipolopolo Boys in Morocco, but the Premiership outfit kept the goalkeeper back without a valid reason.

Wegner's comments stem from the fact that England were hit by the withdrawal of a host of key players, including injured duo Frank Lampard and Steve Gerrard, before their friendly with Germany in Berlin on Wednesday.

The timing of this week's spate of international friendlies has continued the club versus country debate, with many coaches fearing that key players will pick up injuries at a hectic stage of the season.

"The sad situation in that friendly game, mid-November, before games five and six in the Champions League and before important fixtures in the Leagues around the world, is that many players have pulled out because this friendly is very badly positioned," added Wenger.

"We never withdraw any player. Our players, unless they have a big injury, we send them. We ask them to be cautious with them, especially in friendly games, and this usually happens with national teams, because they are not crazy.

"But this game was not well positioned because it doesn't prepare them. There is no official game before March now and it is just in front of very important games for the clubs."