THE PFA HAVE said claims that US goalkeeper Brad Fridel contacted the organisation in 2003 to try and block his compatriot Tim Howard’s move to Manchester United are untrue.
Howard has alleged in his soon-to-be published book ‘The Keeper’ that Friedel attempted to “sabotage” his move to the Premier League by refusing to endorse his work permit application.
Howard says Friedel contacted the PFA in an effort to block the visa process but PFA CEO Gordon Taylor has denied the claims.
“With regard to the appeal by Manchester United on behalf of Tim Howard, which was successful, we have been asked to confirm that the PFA did not receive any correspondence from Brad Friedel in opposition of Tim Howard’s work permit application,” he said in a statement released on the PFA’s website.
In an interview on Wednesday, Friedel demanded an apology, arguing Howard’s allegations were “complete garbage”.
Friedel claimed he had been contacted by Howard’s representatives to sign a letter supporting the then 24-year-old’s application but was forced to make some changes because it was “full of exaggerations”. Speaking to ESPN FC, the veteran goalkeeper commented:
It said that I had been in direct competition with Tim Howard for the starting job on the US national team for the last two years, when anyone who follows soccer knew it was between Kasey [Keller] and I,”
“Yes, I refused to sign that. We got the letter and said ‘We have to change this, because this isn’t true’.
“We made our changes and sent it back. They didn’t like what I was going to sign so they didn’t use it. And that was the end of the matter.”
Howard went on to make 45 Premier League appearances with United over three seasons before joining Everton, where he remains, having played 311 games in England’s top tier for the Merseyside club.
Friedel, 43, remains on the books at Tottenham, although he is their number two goalkeeper behind Hugo Lloris, with the veteran having played over 400 Premier League matches during stints at White Hart Lane, as well as with Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool.
