Jol puts the bite on ‘cynical’ Pamarot

Portsmouth 1 Tottenham 1

Ghaly played on after seven minutes‘ treatment and “four or five” stitches but was substituted at half-time following the injury sustained in the opening three minutes of the 1-1 draw at Fratton Park.

Jol said: “I asked the referee and he said it wasn’t a foul, but when I looked at it again (on tape) I thought it was cynical.

“I know Pamarot and he is a terrific lad, exceptional, but not when he is on the pitch. Ghaly was unbelievable. I thought at first the doctor told me he lost his false teeth but he was really saying four teeth.

“Most people would have gone to hospital and stayed there a week with that injury, but he went back on to play and it was only later I noticed some dangerous signs and took him off again for the second half.”

Pompey boss Harry Redknapp rejected Jol’s claims, who moved from Spurs to Portsmouth a year ago in a £7 million triple transfer along with Pedro Mendes and Sean Davis.

Redknapp said: “That is nonsense. It was a pure accident. Pamarot hasn’t got a cynical bone in his body and often I wish he was a bit more aggressive. . . I am sad the poor kid lost a few teeth but what can you do?”

Ghaly seemed to duck into Pamarot’s admittedly high challenge and referee Andre Marriner restarted the match with a free-kick.

Ironically, Pamarot soon followed Ghaly to the touchline after tearing a groin muscle which is likely to keep him out for several weeks.

The enforced substitution of Danny Murphy for Ghaly galvanised Spurs after they had fallen behind to Pompey’s first on-target shot from Benjani Mwaruwari in the 29th minute. Within five minutes of the start of the second half Murphy laid on an open goal for Steed Malbranque’s header and Tottenham would have gone on to win but for another fine display by Pompey goalkeeper David James.

The 36-year-old former England keeper made superb stops from Calum Davenport, Jermain Defoe and Tom Huddlestone after being largely a spectator in the first half.

PORTSMOUTH: James, Johnson, Primus, Campbell, Pamarot (Kranjcar 13), O’Neil (Cole 73), Pedro Mendes, Davis, Taylor, Kanu, Mwaruwari.

TOTTENHAM: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Davenport, Lee, Ghaly (Murphy 46), Huddlestone, Tainio, Malbranque (Gardner 79), Berbatov, Defoe.

Ref: A Marriner (W Midlands).