Barcelona defender Michael Reiziger yesterday urged his Dutch team-mates to try to get Roy Keane sent off in their World Cup qualifier tonight. Reiziger's outburst on the eve of the game with the Republic of Ireland was relayed on his own website. But he was later forced into a U-turn, presumably under pressure from the Dutch authorities.

Reiziger said: "Ireland has a couple of quality players including Roy Keane, although I hear he has an injury problem and may not play.

"Assuming he does, if we're smart we could get him a red card because he has a dodgy temperament. If referees know that about a player they are always far more likely to card them.

"We will have to provoke Keane in some way, perhaps holding his shirt or walking into him after he passes the ball.

"Players are also known to whisper comments about another player's mother or the size of parts of his body. I don't like that side of the game very much, but if it helps us to win then it's worthwhile."

Reiziger, however, then said it would be wrong to suggest he should try and get a fellow professional sent off. "Perhaps I went over the top a bit in my last diary entry," he said. "Of course I want to win this important match against Ireland."

"But I was wrong to suggest that one way of doing this was by getting a fellow professional sent off. I really don't like that part of the game. Lots of niggling does go on during matches with name-calling and shirt-pulling quite common - it seems to be part of the game these days."