Alpay may have played last international

Turkey coach Senol Gunes has cast doubt on the international future of defender Alpay Ozalan after his spat with England captain…

Turkey coach Senol Gunes has cast doubt on the international future of defender Alpay Ozalan after his spat with England captain David Beckham in Saturday's Euro 2004 qualifier.

Aston Villa player Alpay taunted Beckham after his 37th minute penalty miss in their 0-0 draw in Istanbul and also jabbed a finger in his cheek as the players left the field at the break.

Italian referee Pierluigi Collina called both men to his dressing room at halftime, telling them to calm down, after a brawl in the tunnel involving Turkey and England players.

"You can say that under these circumstances he (Alpay) may not be called for duty from now on," Gunes told CNN Turk television.

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Alpay sought to play down the incident today, telling the Villa website: "What happened in the tunnel was nothing really. I tripped down some stairs and fell over. Something then happened behind me. It is forgotten now."

Alpay, meanwhile, was today reported to be considering whether to hire security guards to protect his home.

Alpay, who was given a day off training today by Villa manager David O'Leary, told the Birmingham Evening Mail he feared for his safety and was deciding if 24-hour security was required at his home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.

Ronny Johnsen's return to fitness however looks like it has already relegated Alpay to the bench. The Johnsen-Olof Mellberg combination has been O'Leary's first-choice pairing since the second game of the season.