19/08/2001

STAM TURNS ON INZAGHI DUO

Jaap Stam has launched an astonishing attack on Italy strikers Filippo and Simone Inzaghi. He accused AC Milan's new signing Filippo of "cheating his way through a game", and said that after he had a row with Simone, he "would have felt more threatened by a Teletubby".

Stam's latest controversial comments come in his new autobiography Head to Head, which is published later this week.

The Manchester United defender came up against Filippo three times when the striker was with Juventus and playing for Italy. The forward, who has scored twice in these encounters, once told the press that he thought the Dutchman was slow.

Stam hits back by calling Inzaghi "one of my least favourite players in the glorious game".

"Maybe he's a friendly guy off the pitch, but the way he plays football annoys and frustrates me greatly," he said, before claiming that Inzaghi is "always diving and moaning to the referee".

"The slightest touch and he goes down. Even if you are just walking by him and give him a nudge he's down like he's been hit by a sniper. It's an Italian trait, but he takes it to extremes. I simply can't stand the way the guy cheats his way through a game."

Elsewhere in the book Stam claims that Alex Ferguson made an illegal approach to sign him while he was still at PSV Eindhoven, describes Edgar Davids screaming abuse at David Beckham in the players' tunnel, criticises Michael Owen for his poor ball control, and swingles out Patrick Vieira for using his elbows and "sly kicks".

Now the Dutchman – usually a quiet man - has made trouble for himself in Italy too. He followed up his verbal tirade against Filippo with a stinging attack on his younger brother Simone.

Stam described the day when he accidentally broke Simone's nose in the European Super Cup match between United and Lazio in 1999.

"Typical of his family, the man felt cheated," explained Stam. "The threats started to pump out as fast as the red stuff. I couldn't understand the words, but the body language was pretty clear. 'I'll slit your throat and break your legs' he might as well have shouted."

But Stam added that he "would have felt more threatened by a Teletubby. Did he search me out later to follow through his threats? What do you think?"

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted on Sunday that he was surprised by the content in the book: "I know Jaap is very regretful about it all. He's got a bit of making up to do in the dressing-room.

"To write a book like that means that he was badly advised. He never got permission from the club to write it. I never knew he was writing a book and I was stunned when a director phoned me up to tell me."

Stam has told a friend that he cannot understand the controversy that Head to Head has started. "There's nothing in the book," he shrugged.

[Onefootball.com]