Published: Thursday, 1st May, 2008 12:00
Royals ban Sonko and Fae
By Anthony Smith
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Banned: Ibrahima Sonko and Reading team-mate Emerse Fae have had a major bust-up with boss Steve Coppell after they refused to play for the reserves.
STEVE Coppell has had a serious bust-up with two of his players for refusing to turn out for the reserves.
Ibrahima Sonko and Emerse Fae were each fined a fortnight's wages and both have been banned from the Madejski Stadium and the training ground for two weeks following a serious breach of club discipline.
The pair were in the team to play Tottenham's second-string at Aldershot on Monday, a game that finished 2-2.
But it believed they refused on grounds that they did not want to risk injury as both have important international matches scheduled for the summer.
Furious Coppell was deeply angered when he found out and both players were immediately ordered to attend a disciplinary meeting the following morning.
Senegal defender Sonko and Ivory Coast midfielder Fae have now almost certainly played their last games for Royals this season, with only two fixtures remaining.
Coppell said: "As far as I'm concerned it's an internal disciplinary measure and it's been dealt with.
"I don't want to take anything away from the focus of what's important for us this week, and that is our game against Tottenham on Saturday.
"Everything else is just incidental as far as I'm concerned."
Both have failed to nail down a regular place in Coppell's strating line-up this campaign, and could now be off-loaded in the summer.
Coppell said: "We do not want any distractions to what we are trying to achieve."
Neither Sonko nor record-signing Fae will be in the Reading squad to face Tottenham at the Madejski Stadium this Saturday (3pm ko).
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