Portugal manager cries foul as early tackles take toll

When the Portuguese football team came to town for an important qualifying game six years ago they loved the place so much that, having subsequently qualified for Euro '96 a few months later, they returned to Dublin to complete their preparations for the championship finals.

Somehow, win or lose, when they head home after this afternoon's encounter, between two great nations, it's hard to see them ever wanting to return.

Offended before they came by allegations they had mishandled their share of the tickets for today's World Cup qualifier; incensed by confirmation, upon their arrival in Dublin, that their captain Fernando Couto had just been banned by FIFA for drugs offences; and Ian Harte's assertion that their star player, Figo, "likes a dive" and would be sorted out by "a few hard tackles early on", clearly proved the final straw.

At a stormy press conference in Lansdowne Road yesterday, visiting Portuguese officials called for a public apology from their hosts over the ticket dispute, insisted Harte should be banned for threatening one of their players, and made obvious their contempt for both FIFA and the Italian association for the way in which they have handled the Couto situation.

Team manager, Antonio Oliveira, repeatedly sent radio journalists' equipment bouncing into the air as he thumped the table in front of him.

"We are waiting for a very fast decision from FIFA in the case of Ian Harte threatening to hurt one of our players," he said.

"He should receive a red card before the match and the decision should be as quick as for Fernando Couto," he insisted.

Oliveira's upset was not helped by the fact that his side had just trained on a pitch with only one goal in place. There had better be two by tomorrow, he warned.