- Beckham’s family claimed Hoddle didn’t support the player after his red card
- But former England boss has contested he did support Beckham at the time
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Glenn Hoddle says he has no problem with the negative view of him portrayed in David Beckham’s Netflix documentary.
One episode of the series deals with Beckham’s red card against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup and Hoddle’s apparently less-than-supportive reaction to it.
It dwells on Hoddle’s assertion that Beckham, then a Manchester United player, was ‘not focused’ ahead of the tournament in France, which led to him being benched for England’s opener against Tunisia.
The Netflix show also features a post-match interview by Hoddle after England’s penalty shoot-out exit to Argentina in which he says Beckham’s red for kicking out at Diego Simeone ‘cost us dearly.’
Beckham’s mum Sandra is scathing of Hoddle when interviewed. ‘Glenn Hoddle said his head wasn’t in the right place, didn’t he? I just put him on my hit list – people that upset me,’ she said.
David Beckham sees red as England crash out to Argentina at the 1998 World Cup in France
Beckham’s family criticise then England boss Glenn Hoddle in the star’s Netflix documentary
Victoria Beckham, pictured, heavily criticised former England manager Hoddle during the new Netflix documentary series about her husband David’s life and career in football
Beckham’s wife Victoria also criticised Three Lions boss Hoddle for not protecting the player amid a vitriolic fallout to his sending off.
‘Glenn Hoddle didn’t come out and try to protect him. And how old was David? 23?’ she said.
‘You’re a kid at 23. Glenn Hoddle was a man. I wouldn’t say a man actually, he was an older person [Hoddle was 40 at the time].’
Hoddle didn’t feature in the documentary with the focus turning to United manager Alex Ferguson’s support of Beckham during the following season.
But Hoddle, 66, has now responded, telling talkSPORT: ‘I’ve got no problem with David. He was a fabulous player for me and one of the best players this country has produced.
‘I haven’t seen the documentary, I’ve got no worries with what he said. If it goes well, I wish him all the success.
‘I believe his mum had a little dig at me. Well, my mum would have defended me to the hilt as well.
‘My daughter sent me an interview I did after the game in France as well where I was defending him and saying we can’t make him a scapegoat.
Hoddle consoles Beckham as he walks from the field following his sending off in 1998
Hoddle benched Beckham for England’s 1998 World Cup opener against Tunisia, saying he ‘wasn’t focused’, before bringing him off the bench against Romania
David Beckham also opens up on the extreme backlash he faced in the documentary series
‘It was never a red card. I’ve looked at it and thought, ‘How has he given him a red?’ It was ridiculous.
‘I haven’t seen it [the Netflix series]. With what happened to me five years ago [his heart attack on the BT Sport set], these things don’t bother me.’
Hoddle handed Beckham his England debut in his first game in charge, a World Cup qualifier away to Moldova in 1996.
