Tottenham Hotspur FC

• Nickname:
• Founded:1882
• Manager:Harry Redknapp

• Ground:
• Capacity:NaN

Defoe vows to keep his cool

14 Nov 2009 - 10:11:49

Click To Enlarge

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has dismissed suggestions that his hot-headedness could cause England problems in the World Cup.

Defoe was red-carded for an apparent stamp on Aaron Mokoena while playing against former club Portsmouth at Fratton Park in the Premier League.

However, the 27-year-old hot-shot insists the incident was out of character and would not be repeated on the biggest stage.

Speaking about the World Cup, he said: "You can't afford to do that, especially in a massive tournament.

"At that level, going down to ten men, you give the other team the advantage and you could lose the game.

"You'd let your team-mates down, your country down, the manager and the staff. You have to be professional and keep a cool head.

"Do I worry about Fabio Capello's attitude to the sending off? Yes, of course. It's a World Cup year so you want to try and do everything right. I don't want to let myself down.

"He has told us it's one of the most important things, to keep 11 players on the pitch.

"He wants 11 players coming off the pitch at the end of the game. At this level, you can't afford to be a man down. You just can't."