Did hatchet man target Beckham?

The man who made the reckless tackle on David Beckham last night is Aldo Duscher, the Argentinian known as "the hatchet man" because of his reputation for tough playing.

The debate raging in the football world today is over whether the offending tackle was just bad defending - or a deliberate ploy to put our best player out of action and shatter the national team's hopes for the tournament.

Although Duscher will not be playing in the Argentina World Cup squad, he may be seen to have done a great favour for his countrymen, who are England's main group rivals when the first stage of the World Cup opens in June. Duscher actually went unpunished for the foul on Beckham. In apparent confusion, teammate Lionel Scaloni was wrongly booked by referee Markus Merk for the tackle.

Duscher, who has been booked nine times in only 29 games this season, was eventually sent off for two other reckless tackles later in the game.

The foul has been condemned by commentators and fans alike as part of a Deportivo strategy to target Beckham. The England captain was also stretchered off the pitch in the first-leg match in Spain last week after a reckless last-minute challenge by Diego Tristan on his left ankle.

Today, however, Duscher remained defiant, refusing to apologise over the two-footed challenge that broke a bone in Beckham's foot and sidelined him for six to 10 weeks.

He denied the tackle was designed to cause injury, saying: "I hope he can be healthy in time for the World Cup, but it was unfortunate and just bad luck. I honestly went for the ball.

" If this had happened to a Deportivo player, nobody from Manchester United would have spoken to him.

"Just because it is Beckham and he is a great player everything is bigger, it is blown out of proportion and given too much importance."

But Argentinian soccer experts condemned the tackle. Sports writer Rodrigo Calderon said: "Duscher is ruthless. He may dislike Beckham. This will help Argentina win the World Cup."

Despite his initial frustration, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would not condemn the tackle.

"The game of football is about tackles and I think the player maybe had to go for the ball," he said.

Duscher's controversial career has included investigations over alleged passport irregularities.