Hargreaves speaks out on boycott

England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has underlined his team-mates’ reasons for refusing to talk to the media after Wednesday’s win in Poland.

England’s players remained silent after their 2-1 World Cup qualifying success in Chorzow in protest at criticism of their draw in Austria four days earlier.

Hargreaves claims the players felt their critics over-reacted but believes the arrangements will return to normal for next month’s clash with Wales.

The Bayern Munich player told Brian Alexander on BBC Radio Five Live’s Weekend Breakfast: “We made a decision. We felt some of the things were a bit too much. Maybe sometimes you have got to draw a line under what is okay and what isn’t. That is what we tried to do.

“When I have been involved with England the Press have not been a problem at all and that was not the case this time.

“Obviously the Press is a part of our business as much as the fans and we are. As a group we made a decision to stand for something we didn’t think was fair.

“It was probably a one-off. Who knows if that decision was right or wrong but it has been made.”

Hargreaves denied the media ‘blackout’ was instigated by one or two players, insisting it was a collective decision.

“It was a group decision,” he added. “All decisions at that level are made by the group, not one individual.”