Espanyol defender Sergio Sanchez has accused Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham of insulting him and slapping him after their Spanish Primera Liga match on Sunday which Real lost 1-0.
"The game was very tense. I was stretching on the sidelines when Beckham came to take a corner and by chance I started coughing as he struck the corner," Sanchez told radio station Punto Radio.
"He took the episode badly and began to insult me. After the game as I returned to the changing rooms he appeared to be waiting for me, started insulting me again, and slapped me.
"I still don't understand it. Maybe it was because he was wound up."
Real lost their third game in a week on Sunday, including their midweek Champions League visit to Lyon, and ended the match with nine men after defender Sergio Ramos and Brazilian forward Julio Baptista were both sent off.
After three league games they lie in 15th place in the Primera Liga with three points.
