The Australian Soccer Association will invoke FIFA’s five-day ban on striker Mark Viduka, meaning heÊwill miss the Premier League clash agaisnt Manchester United on Saturday.

The Leeds UnitedÊforward did not turn up for his nation’s friendly against Venezuela after withdrawing from the squad with a hamstring injury.

However, the ASA did not believe the injury was serious enough to warrant missing the match atgainst Venezuela.

Socceroos team-mate Scott Chipperfield of Basel has also been banned for five days for the same reason.

“In this decision ASA has taken a sympatheticÊview of the circumstances of all players but ultimately decided there were grounds for invoking Article 40 of the FIFA regulations in the case of Mark Viduka and Scott Chipperfield,” a statement from the ASA said.

“In the case of Mark Viduka, the ASA emphasises that while it is sympathetic to Mark’s personal situation, it notes he has played twice for Leeds since returning from Australia to visit his ill father.

“Furthermore, ASA is not satisfied that Mark has sustained an injury which would have prevented him taking the field in Caracas.”