FIFA have said they will investigate what it termed any "special incidents" after the English FA demanded action be taken following the treatment of David Beckham during England's 2-0 win over Greece last night. Beckham was pelted with missiles throughout England's World Cup qualifer in Athens. The Manchester United star, who scored England's second goal in their 2-0 victory with a stunning long-range free kick, was struck by coins, bottles and lighters from the crowd in the stands throughout the match.
"We are waiting for the match reports from the referee, the national associations and the FIFA delegate at the match," explained a FIFA spokesperson. "We expect those very quickly. If there are any special incidents mentioned, they will be dealt with separately by FIFA."
Beckham admitted after the game that he was under constant attack. "We knew it was going to be hostile. We knew they would throw things at us and I was hit by a bottle and other things were thrown towards me," he said. "But the free-kick was a nice way to put one over on them for throwing all the stuff at me and by winning it silenced everyone," he added.
Manager Sven Goran Eriksson lauded his captain for keeping his cool and for putting in another memorable performance. "I am very happy with him. He behaved like a captain and is scoring goals and playing good football. I did not know he was criticised before for not scoring enough goals. He was very calm when people were throwing things at him. He stood still and did not move but just took the corners without protest. That was very good and all of the team had very good discipline," he said.
Meanwhile, Beckham also confirmed that his infamous Mohican haircut will have to go now because he scored in last night's game. The England star promised during a tv interview to revert back to his skinhead look if he bagged a goal against the Greeks and he plans on keeping his promise. "It looks like I'll have to get the clippers out," he joked with reporters after the match.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
