Netherlands star Wesley Sneijder has denied calling Dunga and Diego Maradona idiots and stated that his comments were wrongly translated.
Netherlands star Wesley Sneijder has denied calling Dunga and Diego Maradona "idiots" and stated that his comments were wrongly translated.
In an interview with Dutch magazine Helden published earlier yesterday, the Inter star reportedly said that Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk gives the squad "peace of mind and he does not panic".
The 26-year-old then controversially branded outgoing Brazil coach Dunga and Argentina coach Diego Maradona "idiots", saying that he would prefer Van Marwijk to the duo.
Sneijder supposedly said, "After a difficult first-half against Brazil we managed to stay calm. I'd rather have someone like Van Marwijk as coach rather than two idiots like Maradona and Dunga."
However, the former Real Madrid midfielder has now tried to clear the air by explaining that his words were wrongly quoted and that there was a mistake in the translation.
"There was a big mistake in the transcription and in the various translations of my words. In the interview I never reported directly to Maradona and Dunga, for whom I have great respect for because of what they have done for both their work as technicians.
"In the interview, I just talked about the differences that exist between coaches, each of us cannot be equal to one another. I regret a lot of misunderstandings that have been given to my words."
The Dutch football federation, KNVB, have also released a statement that reads, "Sneijder didn't say the word 'idiot'." Helden have also removed the word "idiots" from the interview on their official website. ufffd goal.com
