Newcastle boss Bobby Robson has condemned the tackle that put Kieron Dyer out of the World Cup and the fans who applauded the reckless challenge.
Robson could not believe how wild the challenge by Southampton defender Tahar El Khalej had been, or the reception it received from the crowd at the St Mary's Stadium.
Dyer, who had spent most of the season battling injuries, had been named in Sven-Goran Eriksson's 23-man party for the finals in Japan and South Korea, but the tackle has left him with a knee injury.
"He [El Khalej] has just wiped out one of our stars and he gets applause, they are prats," said Robson. "How do I feel? How do you expect me to feel? If that had happened to your son, how would you feel about it?
"I nearly left him out, really," Robson said. "I left Andy O'Brien on the bench, who goes off with the Republic of Ireland, but Kieron wanted to play. He felt he was lacking a bit of conditioning after being out for long spells this season".
England defender Rio Ferdinand also expressed his anger at the "disgraceful" tackle. He told the Sun: "The tackle was absolutely disgraceful and bang out of order".
In today's Daily Express, Dyer's agent said he and his client may seek some kind of redress in the courts for the reckless tackle.
PA