McCarthy out of Ireland squad for Euro 2012

Dublin: Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni picked his 23-man squad for the European Championships on Monday, leaving out James McCarthy so the midfielder can stay home with his seriously ill father.

The Scottish-born McCarthy was likely to be included in the squad for the June 8-July 1 tournament in Poland and Ukraine but asked to be withdrawn from contention.

"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," McCarthy said. "I have discussed this with the manager. He was very understanding and I thank him sincerely for that."

McCarthy said his decision did not diminish his attachment to the national team.

"I take this opportunity to reaffirm my complete commitment to playing for the Republic of Ireland," the Wigan midfielder said in a statement through the Football Association of Ireland. "It is a huge honour and source of great pride for me and my family."

"Despite not being present, I would like to wish the manager and my teammates every success at the tournament and hope that Irish fans can understand the reason for my decision at this difficult time."

Trapattoni picked James McClean after the 23-year-old Sunderland winger made his international debut this season, while he placed five more players on standby to cover for injuries.

Ireland squad:

Goalkeepers: Shay Given (Aston Villa), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland), David Forde (Millwall).

Defenders: John O'Shea (Sunderland), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Stephen Ward (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Sean St. Ledger (Leicester), Darren O'Dea (Leeds), Kevin Foley (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

Midfielders: Glenn Whelan (Stoke), Keith Andrews (West Bromwich Albion), Keith Fahey (Birmingham), Darron Gibson (Everton), Damien Duff (Fulham), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Stephen Hunt (Wolverhampton Wanderers), James McClean (Sunderland).

Forwards: Robbie Keane (Los Angeles Galaxy), Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Shane Long (West Bromwich Albion), Simon Cox (West Bromwich Albion), Jon Walters (Stoke).

Players on standby: Darren Randolph (Motherwell), Paul McShane (Crystal Palace), Paul Green (Unattached), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Andy Keogh (Millwall).