Australia skipper Lucas Neill says he’s considering legal action against publishers of a book which claims he led a player mutiny against former coach Pim Verbeek just before kickoff in Australia’s opening 4-0 loss to Germany at last year’s World Cup.

Respected broadcaster Les Murray made the claim in “The World Game: The story of how football went global,” citing unnamed sources as alleging Neill asked Verbeek to leave the dressing room, then told the players to ignore the defensive game plan.

The 33-year-old Neill describes the claim as “scandalous,” and says he didn’t even deliver the pre-match motivational speech to the team before Australia’s opening match in South Africa.

Neill, a former West Ham and Everton defender who is holidaying in the United States after his contract finished at Galatasaray in Turkey, says the allegations are “completely false.”

“I was angered to hear such claims in the media,” Neill said. “I have always had a great working relationship with the national team manager and supported them to the best of my ability, and Pim Verbeek was no exception.”

Verbeek was widely criticised for not picking any attacking players to play Germany, aiming for a draw so he could concentrate on winning the subsequent group matches. Australia didn’t advance after a draw with Ghana and a win over Serbia.

The contentious excerpt spread quickly after the book launch on Thursday. Murray, a seasoned broadcaster and member of FIFA’s ethics committee, has stood by the claims and declined to reveal his sources.

In a statement to Australian Associated Press, Neill hinted at legal action.

“My aim now is to ensure that my reputation remains intact, as I have worked very hard over many years to maintain a good and positive image within the sporting landscape and I will fight to the fullest extent of the law to clear my name of this scandalous accusation,” he said. “I will be discussing the matter with my management and lawyers over the coming days.”

Several of Neill’s Australia teammates, including former Glasgow Rangers and Newcastle defender Craig Moore, deny the incident took place.

Verbeek announced before the World Cup that he wouldn’t be renewing his contract as Australia manager.