Football: Trouble for Toshack
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.REAL MADRID'S Clarence Seedorf and Fernando Hierro were involved in a dressing-room fracas after their side's 1-1 home draw with Dynamo Kiev in the European Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
According to Spanish newspapers, the two internationals came to blows and had to be pulled apart by their team-mates. The argument between two senior players capped a hugely disappointing night for the European champions, who fell behind to Andriy Shevchenko's opportunistic strike on 54 minutes before salvaging a draw through a Predrag Mijatovic free-kick 12 minutes later. The incident served notice to Real's new coach, John Toshack, that not all the problems at the troubled club are on the field.
Hierro, the team vice-captain, clashed with the Dutch international in the first half of Wednesday's game when the two argued over who should take a free-kick.
Toshack made no comment on the incident, preferring to concentrate on the side's performance which, as the Welshman admitted, also displayed a worrying lack of team spirit. "The players have got to be more intelligent." Toshack said. "Some of them have too fixed an idea of how to use the ball and that can't continue. We've got to carry on working on this. We were far too individual."
Toshack remains confident of progressing to the semi-finals. But he will clearly need to do something about the lack of discipline being shown by his senior players. The flare-up between Hierro and Seedorf is not the first time the Dutchman has clashed with a team-mate. In Tokyo, during preparations for the Intercontinental Cup match against the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, Seedorf and the Real defender Ivan Campo were caught on camera fighting. Seedorf was also involved in another televised row in January as he and Mijatovic traded insults during the 4-0 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna.
Toshack, who was persuaded to come back to Madrid in place of Guus Hiddink last month, received the backing of the club president, Lorenzo Sanz, in his decision to substitute the under-performing Seedorf. "The coach has demonstrated that he doesn't have favourites on the field." Sanz said. "When a player, whatever his name is, isn't playing well it seems to me perfect that he is taken off."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments