Beckham in hot water after seeing red again

MADRID—England Captain David Beckham’s suitability to lead his country was again being called into question after he was sent off for the seventh time of his career during Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Getafe at the Bernabeu.
Beckham, 30, received his marching orders 11 minutes into the second half for a rash challenge on Riki after the two players tussled down the touchline.
The midfielder, wearing a black armband in honour of George Best, the former Manchester United and Northern Ireland star who was buried earlier Saturday, then had to be restrained and guided down the tunnel by club officials as he argued with Getafe coach Bernd Schuster.
Schuster said: “I simply congratulated him on how well he played. I don’t know what was going on with him. You’d better ask him”.
It was Beckham’s fourth red card as a Real Madrid player and third this season, and coach Wanderley Luxemburgo said that he would need a talking to about the incident which overshadowed Ronaldo’s 18th minute goal.
“The red card was bad news for us,” said Luxemburgo.
“I think Beckham, like the rest of the team, is having a bad time at the moment. I think he reacted mistakenly.
“The ejection was bad because it’s not good to be with a player less. But to suggest he was seeking a red card is another matter. We’re having a difficult time and perhaps he is trying to do things the wrong way,” Luxemburgo said.
The victory was Madrid’s first in three league games and only their third in the past seven, and Luxemburgo admitted there was still work to do as the team lie fourth in the Primera Liga three points behind leaders Barcelona.
“I’m happy about the result but not about the way we played. Everyone is a bit scared of making mistakes but this win and (last week’s) draw with Real Sociedad has boosted our morale. I’d like to play well as soon as possible. But I don’t know when we will,” Luxemburgo added.
Beckham was sent-off in England’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Austria at Old Trafford at the start of October and again playing for Real in their home defeat to Valencia two weeks later, which was rescinded on appeal.
England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson backed Beckham’s disciplinary record and he led the side for the 50th time in last month’s friendly against Argentina in Geneva.
England won that match to revive hopes of making an impact at next year’s World Cup but after this latest incident Eriksson could once again be asked to justify Beckham’s position.
Beckham, who had only been sent off once at Manchester United and in the infamous incident against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, seems to be finding it increasingly difficult to control his temper.
He now faces an automatic one-match ban but the Spanish FA’s disciplinary committee could decide to extend the suspension when they meet on Tuesday.—Agencies