Arsenal ace Andrey Arshavin
clashed with Tottenham striker
Roman Pavlyuchenko in the Russia changing room last week, it has
been revealed.
The Mirror says the two strikers extended their
Spurs-Arsenal rivalry while
Arshavin was giving a team talk in the dressing room. Russia lost
1-0 and their dreams of making South Africa next year vanished.
"The only player who protested about Arshavin's talk was Roman
Pavlyuchenko," said one source. "He told Andriy strongly to shut
up."
Arshavin was named by a leading Russian website yesterday after
the Sovetsky Sport newspaper reported another row in the
Russian camp – without identifying the players.
"Not many people know about an incident which happened before
the games against Slovenia," said the paper's football editor
Sergei Yegorov.
He claimed that when three players arrived at a team breakfast
"one of them was reprimanded."
He went on: "Rumour is that the leader of the trio replied in
his usual insolent manner.
"The scandal was swept under the carpet. Guus Hiddink was not in
the restaurant with the team at that moment."
Later livesport.ru said: "Sovetsky Sport did not name
the players, but the trio were Alexander Anyukov, Vladimir Bystrov
and Andrey Arshavin.
"The leader was Arshavin who, according to unofficial sources,
insulted assistant coach Alexander Borodyuk."