Football: PFA hit back at Alan Sugars remarks..

Players' union leader Gordon Taylor claims the comments made about modern British players by former Tottenham chairman Sir Alan Sugar were "as offensive as any racist remark". Sugar - who has a television programme starting this week - told the Sunday Telegraph players were "total scum" and said they "would be in prison" if they were not playing football.

The 57-year-old multi-millionaire, who made his fortune from the Amstrad computer firm, was chairman of Tottenham for a decade until resigning in 2001. Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, dismissed Sugar's comments and said it was "more than a coincidence" that Sugar spoke out so close to the launch of his TV venture.

Taylor said: "The use of such comments and language says more about Alan Sugar than it does about my members. To use such language in condemnation of anybody or any group of people is not only offensive and denigrating, it says more about person who said it."

Taylor also hinted Sugar's comments were timed to gain publicity for his forthcoming documentary on BBC2.

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