Miguel Angel Martin threatened a legal backlash last night after being thrown out of the European Ryder Cup team for the matches against the US at Valderrama on September 26th to 28th. "I'm going straightaway to my lawyers in the morning," said the 35-year-old, who has been replaced by compatriot Jose-Maria Olazabal. In the course of frenetic and sometimes bizarre developments over the last 24 hours, Martin refused a request to undergo a fitness test at Valderrama today. He insisted that he needed more time to recover from a ruptured wrist ligament sustained at Loch Lomond seven weeks ago.

The request that he present himself for a fitness test at Valderrama was made by the Ryder Cup committee in a fax yesterday. Martin was instructed to fax a reply by 5.0 p.m.

When this was done to the effect that he would not be taking the test, the reaction was dramatic. Mitchell Platts, the European tour's Director of Communications and spokesman for Europe's Ryder Cup Committee, issued a statement last night to the effect that Olazabal had replaced Martin in the side.

The way is now clear for skipper Seve Ballesteros to take his two wild-card selections. With Olazabal safely in the side - or so he hopes - Ballesteros is expected to name Nick Faldo for a record 11th successive Ryder Cup appearance, beating Christy O'Connor's target, which he equalled at Oak Hill two years ago.

Favourite of the other wild card slot is another American-based player, Jesper Parnevik, but there is also the possibility that Ballesteros may opt for the experience of Mark James, a Ryder Cup veteran. Either way, the decision is expected tomorrow evening.

The statement from Platts said: "Following close consultation between the Ryder Cup Committee and Severiano Ballesteros, it is announced today by the Ryder Cup Committee that Miguel Angel Martin has been informed that he will be replaced in the European team by the 11th qualified player, which is Jose Maria Olazabal.

"Miguel Angel, who has because of injury not played competitive golf since July 18th, had been requested to demonstrate that there was a reasonable likelihood that he would be fit and competitive for the Ryder Cup Matches.

"Miguel Angel informed the Ryder Cup Committee that he did not think it was necessary or convenient in his recuperation programme to play 18 holes of golf at Valderrama on Wednesday, which would have provided this opportunity.

"The Ryder Cup Committee and the captain are agreed that currently there is an indisputable presumption that even if Miguel Angel was fit to play in the matches, which is in doubt, that he cannot be competitive at Ryder Cup level.

"The proposal of Miguel Angel playing 18 holes on Wednesday was intended to give him every opportunity of countering this presumption.

"As Miguel Angel has not availed himself of this opportunity the Ryder Cup Committee and the captain have with regret informed Miguel Angel that he will be replaced.

"The Ryder Cup Committee and the captain understand that Miguel Angel will be extremely disappointed, but hope that he will in time understand and accept the correctness of the decision."

Martin was informed not by the committee but by a journalist that he was no longer in the team and his response was swift and emphatic: "It's crazy - a very, very silly decision," he said last night. Then, after declaring his intention to meet with his lawyer this morning, he went on: "I am going to fight as hard as I can."

The Madrid-based player went on: "I want to try first to get back on the team but if that if not possible, we will have to see. The Ryder Cup is in Spain for the first time and I'm not just going to say that this decision is okay."

Then, for the first time, he named the "individual" whom he had earlier suggested didn't want him as a member of the European line-up. Martin said: "Seve I don't think, wants me in the team. I am positive of that. But I think I could be on the team still and I want to try."

His feelings about Ballesteros are hardly without foundation, given events at the Smurfit European Open two weeks ago when the skipper stated publicly that Martin could not be considered as a possible Ryder Cup candidate because of his injury. Since then, Ballesteros has made no attempt to soften that view, despite the fact that a final decision on the team was deferred from Sunday last.

Martin repeated: "It's a silly decision - that's all I can say. They asked me to go to Valderrama but if my doctor says I can't go, when I am not going. I don't know what the Americans are going to make of this."

Meanwhile, one assumes the Ryder Cup committee have done their homework and that they are ready for any possible legal backlash. Otherwise, the most protracted selection process in the recent history of this biennial showpiece, could descend into total farce.