Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham has played down claims from Espanyol's Sergio Sanchez that he slapped him. Sanchez, a substitute in his side's win over Real, told the Daily Mail: "I was stretching on the touchline and coughed as he was about to take the corner."
Sanchez said Beckham confronted him in the tunnel after the game and added: "That is when he slapped me. He was going crazy and swearing at me."
But Beckham said the touchline clash was "just one of those things".
The England captain added: "I went to take a corner and he was shouting things just as I was taking the kick."
The defeat was Real's third on the trot and came via a controversial winner from Daniel Jarque.
But Sanchez believes there was no excuse for Beckham's actions and added: "I couldn't believe it. It's no way for the captain of England to behave.
"Luckily for him, some other players got between us and pulled him away."
MMIX
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