McCarthy withdraws from Euro selection

James McCarthy has withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad for the Euro 2012 finals after revealing his father has been diagnosed with cancer.

The Wigan midfielder would have been included in Giovanni Trapattoni's 23-man squad, which the Italian announced on Monday afternoon at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, but called his manager last week to tell him the news.

McCarthy confirmed his decision in a statement which said: "I have made the very difficult decision to withdraw my name from selection from the Euro 2012 squad following the diagnosis of my father with cancer and an ongoing requirement for treatment."

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