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Toshack plays down Suker fued

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Posted: Monday May 17, 1999 12:24 PM

Davor Suker was suspended by Real Madrid last week. AP

MADRID (Reuters) -- Real Madrid coach John Toshack moved on Monday to play down his public row with Davor Suker, saying the problem was nothing more than a disciplinary matter.

Croatian international striker Suker has been suspended by the club over comments attributed to him in the Spanish press criticizing the Welsh coach's transfer dealings.

Suker subsequently denied making any criticism of Toshack and said his lawyers were looking into the matter.

Toshack, attempting to clarify the situation on Monday, said that Suker had been fined by the club for missing training on three occasions -- and suggested the ensuing row was just an attempt to deflect attention from that fact.

"I couldn't close my eyes to him missing training," Toshack said. "But Suker then changed completely and started to come out with all these declarations against me.

"He started to insinuate certain things about me and said there was something so important he had to talk to the club president.

"So we arranged a meeting with me, the president and Suker to talk about this.

"He said some of it was meant in jest, some an invention of the press. And the problem that was 'so important' was just that I'd told him that Porto and Fenerbahce were interested in him.

"For a week it wasn't important at all but then, after he was fined, it was."

Toshack added: "This only came about because Suker missed training three times. That's all it's about."

Suker, who has another year to go on his contract, is almost certain to leave Real at the end of the season under a wide-ranging restructuring of the club, with the English Premier League his most likely destination.

Toshack said he had even given Suker a telephone number for former Fulham boss Kevin Keegan, a close friend of Toshack since the two played together at Liverpool in the 1970s.

"Suker asked for permission to go to London for a few days with a view to possibly playing next season with Fulham," Toshack explained.

"We spoke about my friendship with Keegan and I gave him his number in London so he could see if there was any chance of the move going ahead."

 

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