Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric has accused Lee Cattermole of putting his career in jeopardy following the Sunderland captain's latest controversial challenge.
Lee Cattermole was booked for his tackle on Luka Modric and harangued by unhappy Spurs players
Cattermole was shown a yellow card for the tackle on the Croatian in Tuesday's 1-1 Premier League draw at White Hart Lane, which sparked a brief melee between opposing players.
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was convinced the challenge was fair but opposite number Harry Redknapp was adamant Cattermole should have been sent off for the third time this season.
And Modric, who stayed down for some time following the tackle, echoed his manager's sentiments, claiming his leg could easily have been broken by the challenge.
"Players who tackle like that need to think before making a tackle because they can ruin careers of friends and professionals," Modric said. "They just need to think about it.
"He should have been sent off. I can't show you now but there is a big swelling on my knee and he should have got a red card but the referee decided differently. When you see tackles like that, it is a little upsetting, and if they are not punished properly then even more so.
"For now, it is a little bit sore but I hope it will settle down. I jumped and if I stayed with my legs on the floor it would have been even worse, but I got out of the way at the last second.
"Maybe if I stayed on the floor I would have broken my leg but I jumped and that has probably saved me. Thank God everything finished well.''
Referee Howard Webb was also at the centre of the game's other big controversy, electing to book David Bentley for diving in the box following a challenge from Boudewijn Zenden.
A fourth league game without a win means Tottenham face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League for a second successive season, leaving them four points behind the top four having played a game more.
"If you look at the result, it is not good for us," Modric said. "We deserved to win. We should have had a penalty and maybe a red card (for them) and then it would have been a different game. But we need to focus on the next game and try to win.''
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