Real give backing to beleaguered coach

MADRID: Real Madrid gave their backing to coach Bernd Schuster and his squad on Monday after a poor run of form had led to speculation over the German's future.

"The club have complete confidence in the players and the coaching staff," sports director Predrag Mijatovic told a news conference.

"We took a tough decision to get rid of Fabio Capello and bring in Bernd Schuster a year ago and we were proved right as he had a great campaign to win the league title. We continue to be happy with his work and the players we have.