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Wednesday, 19 February, 2003, 21:56 GMT

Beckham forgives Ferguson


David Beckham has made peace with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson over the dressing room clash which left him with an injury just above the eye.

Beckham described the incident - in which Ferguson accidentally kicked a football boot against his face - as "just one of those things".

"I want to assure all Manchester United fans that there is complete harmony and focus as we prepare for the Juventus game.

"The dressing room incident was just one of those things - it's all in the past now," added Beckham, ahead of Wednesday's Champions League game with Juventus at Old Trafford.

" If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn't happen again "
Sir Alex Ferguson

Earlier, Ferguson apparently refused to apologise for the dressing room bust-up.

The Old Trafford boss denied that the England captain needed stitches and insisted the cut above his left eye was "a graze".

The incident happened after Ferguson's side lost 2-0 to arch rivals Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

"Contrary to reports, David Beckham did not have two stitches - it was a graze which was dealt with by the doctor," Ferguson revealed.

"It was a freakish incident. If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn't happen again. If I could I would have carried on playing!"

"There is no problem and we move on. That is all there is to say."

Neither Ferguson nor Manchester United would reveal full details of the incident.

"I have to stress whatever happens in the dressing room remains sacrosanct," he added.

"There is no way I would betray the trust of the players however much benefit there may be.

"It never works that way, loyalty is 100% - never any less than that."

Beckham's management company, SFX, confirmed United's club doctor later visited Beckham at home.

An SFX statement said: "David did not want stitches at first, but two hours after the game, blood was still dripping from the wound and the club doctor visited David's house and fixed two steri-strips to stop the bleeding."

Fit to play

The England captain had been substituted during the game at Old Trafford after injuring his right leg.

He was sitting in the dressing room after the game when Ferguson vented his frustration by kicking the boot.

But Ferguson also confirmed at the news conference ahead of Manchester United's Champions League tie against Juventus that Beckham would be fit to play on Wednesday if selected.


Related to this story:
Man Utd v Juventus (18 Feb 03 | Champions League)


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