Davids hits out at 'brutal' Dutch

Edgar Davids has launched an angry attack on Marco van Basten's Holland side.

Former Dutch international Edgar Davids has launched an angry attack on Marco van Basten's new-look Holland side.

The Dutch bowed out of the World Cup at the last 16 stage following defeat to Portugal but it was the nature of the team's tactics that has so concerned Davids.

The Tottenham midfielder cited the unsavoury scenes which blighted the clash with Portugal as referee Valentin Ivanov dished out a World Cup record of 16 cautions and four red cards.

"It's ironic that under one of the most refined players of all time, the Dutch showed it is capable of brutal assaults on the pitch," Davids told the News of the World.

"Dutch football has lost its innocence. Even though there were a lot of provocations from the Portuguese side, there's simply no excuse for what happened.

"We can all get carried away - it happened occasionally with me - but this was something different."