Ghaly refutes Tottenham exit rumors

Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly refuted rumors of his exit following the incident that saw him throw his shirt in the face of coach Martin Jol when he was substituted against Blackburn.

كتب : Omar AbdelAziz

الإثنين، 21 مايو 2007 - 17:28
Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly refuted rumors of his exit following the incident that saw him throw his shirt in the face of coach Martin Jol when he was substituted against Blackburn.

The Egyptian midfielder has been under fire since his infuriated reaction to being substituted after 30 minutes of his introduction in the Premiership game against Blackburn three weeks ago.

Ghaly insisted that things have been cleared between him and Jol and that the Dutchman has no intention of releasing him in the summer after reports in the Sunday Mirror newspaper that the 26-year-old will be shown the door by the London club at the end of the season.

"I met with Jol before I left for my summer vacation and he assured me that there are no hard feelings and that he is keen on keeping with the team next season," Ghaly told FilGoal.com exclusively on Monday.

"The club already took a disciplinary measure against me and Jol said that was sufficient," said Ghaly without elaborating on the extent of the punishment.

The Egyptian international had apologized to Jol personally following the incident and issued an official statement on the club's website apologizing to the fans for his conduct.

"I was very upset," said Ghaly. "I'm under a lot of pressure because I try to do my best in every game, yet sometimes I’m not chosen, even when I do well."

"Nevertheless, my conduct was unacceptable," he admitted.

Ghaly appeared in Spurs' colors in 21 Premiership games this season, even though he is still not considered a regular at White Hart Lane.

"I have played in 60% of Spurs' this term, which is a good ratio for someone who is playing in England for the first time, but I will strive to secure a regular place in the starting line-up," he said.

Ghaly has produced some fine performances for Spurs this season, but he has struggled to vie with midfield duo Didier Zokora and Jermain Jenas for a regular place.