Defoe gets his teeth into Mascherano

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe was at the centre of controversy after admitting to biting the arm of West Ham United's Javier Mascherano during the teams' Premier League game.

The front page of today's Sun newspaper carried a picture of Defoe seeming to bite the Argentine's upper arm as they sat on the ground following a challenge at White Hart Lane yesterday.

Mascherano was booked for his tackle from behind and Defoe for his response, the incident producing a mass bout of shoving in the game which Spurs won 1-0.

Tottenham coach Martin Jol played down the incident, saying that Defoe, a former West Ham player, told him he was ''nibbling his arm.'' ''There will be no mark. Ask Mascherano if he has got a mark,'' the Dutchman said.

''It is part of the game. They kicked him (Defoe) three times from behind in 10 minutes and he wanted to show his frustration in a nice, comical way.'' Reuters PM VP0920