O'Connor family heartache claims

O'Connor failed to join the Scotland squad for their trip to Kiev

The saga of Garry O'Connor's decision not to travel to Ukraine took a new twist with claims of a relative's suicide bid.

The Sunday Mail newspaper has claimed that the Scotland striker walked out on manager Walter Smith's squad after a close relative tried to kill herself.

O'Connor's mother, Judy, said: "He would not miss a flight for no reason - so people should stop sniping."

The star failed to show as the squad reassembled after beating France.

O'Connor had left Smith fuming after the former Hibernian striker, who now plays for Lokomotiv Moscow, left it to his agent to call the Scottish FA's national team administrator to say he would not be travelling.

But, after Scotland's 2-0 defeat, O'Connor told Russian newspaper Sport Express: "Some problems came up with my wife Lisa, who is having serious difficulty adapting to life in Moscow.

Family for me comes above all else. In my view this is a mountain out of a molehill Garry O'Connor

"I considered it important to stay with her for two or three days and asked manager Walter Smith to let me go.

"My wife grew up in the countryside and therefore, at present, she is finding it very difficult to adapt to such a huge city like Moscow.

"I am always on the move, and she has to spend a lot of time alone with our son Josh. Lisa doesn't have many permanent friends here and it's boring for her.

"Family for me comes above all else. In my view, it's a mountain out of a molehill."

O'Connor made the move to the Russian capital in a £1.6m from Easter Road in March.

But the striker denied that he is unhappy in Russia and wants to return to the British game.

"I never said I wanted to leave Lokomotiv. I am fully determined to show everything I am capable of in the remaining matches and to help Loko win the title," he added.

"I am not looking for anything better when I have it good here. So at the moment I don't want to leave Lokomotiv for another club."