Brad Friedel has become embroiled in a row with his former USA team-mate Tim Howard over claims in the Everton’s goalkeeper’s upcoming autobiography.
In The Keeper, Howard says that Friedel attempted to ‘sabotage’ his move to Manchester United in 2003 by refusing to endorse his work permit. “The legal team at Manchester United... told me that Brad hadn’t merely refused to sign a statement on my behalf, he had actively tried to block my transfer,” says Howard in the book. “He’d written to the appeals committee suggesting that I shouldn’t be given a work permit at all.”
However, Friedel vehemently denies that he failed to support his compatriot. “It’s complete garbage,” he told ESPN FC on Wednesday. “To be honest with you, all we’re looking for is an apology. We can’t get the book reprinted. I’m not looking for monetary gain, I just want an apology.”
Instead, Friedel says he refused to sign a statement of support that he believed was inaccurate. “The letter was full of exaggerations that the people on the PFA [Professional Footballers Association] and appeals committee would have seen through.
“It said that I had been in direct competition with Tim Howard for the starting job on the U.S. 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.”
Friedel said Howard could have been under pressure to put controversial claims into the book by his publishers. Friedel said he has no wish to take the matter to court, and hopes his differences with Howard can be settled with goodwill. I don’t want to litigate against a fellow professional, against a fellow American and a goalkeeper,” he said. “I’ve seen Tim quite a few times over the last 10 years. Never once has he ever turned his shoulder or not said hello or anything, so to all of a sudden put this crap in a book, that’s showing a lot of bravery. I don’t get it.”
Howard and Friedel are two of the finest goalkeepers in the history of US football, sharing with nearly 200 international caps between them.
