James McCarthy has withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland European Championship side after his father was diagnosed with cancer.
And the 21-year-old has the full support of his manager Giovanni Trapattoni.
A statement from the Irish FA on behalf of McCarthy read: "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.
"I have discussed this with the manager. He was very understanding and I thank him sincerely for that.
"I take this oppor-tunity to re-affirm my complete commitment to playing for the Republic 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 team-mates every success at the tournament and hope that Irish fans can understand the reason for my decision at this difficult time."
Trapattoni said: "Last week, he called me and told me what had happened with his family, and I told him, 'I am sorry, I am very, very sorry'.
"But he has decided to remain at home because he has a very heavy duty for his parents.
"I told him immediately that we would continue to follow him and that he will be in our plans for the future. He said, 'Thanks for this'."