Bosnich criticised by Klinsmann

Trevor Haylett
Thursday 02 February 1995 00:02 GMT
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Jurgen Klinsmann yesterday hit out at the Aston Villa goalkeeper, Mark Bosnich, who left the Tottenham Hotspur striker unconscious after a sickening collision during last week's game at Villa Park, writes Trevor Haylett. Speaking on BBC TV's Sportsnight last night, Klinsmann said: "It made me really angry because I could not see any possibility for him to get to the ball. He left the 18-yard box and, knowing he could no longer use his hands, I think he took the risk to hurt me, to foul me. I think I was just lucky that nothing really bad happened to me.

"I guess it was really difficult for the referee to see the whole situation. I didn't know where his position was and maybe he just thought `these two, they crash together and it was no one's fault', but the foul was actually really bad." Bosnich said hehad been trying to head the ball.

Klinsmann also pleaded for understanding to be shown to Eric Cantona, expressing the hope that members of the FA disciplinary commission who will judge his case "try to get into Cantona's mind and realise how much a player in such situations is under tension".

"It happens sometimes that you lose control and do something wrong, and he did something wrong. But he knows that. You should also think of the circumstances and why he did it.

He's in a very difficult situation because people know he has a very hot temper so the crowds, especially at Manchester United's away games, try to provoke him. They try to get him to the point when he risks losing his temper again and that's what happened."

Sir Bobby Charlton has also spoken out on the Cantona affair for the first time. Charlton, now a director at Old Trafford, said: "He can't keep going on doing the type of things he has been doing. If the club's reputation is damaged because of him then we have got to do something.

"The club's reputation is at stake. The manager Alex Ferguson is a proud man and I know this incident didn't make him proud. He'll be disappointed that one of his players let him down."

The United chairman, Martin Edwards, also admitted yesterday that Cantona would be sacked if he was involved in any more serious trouble.

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