[misha]

The agent of under-fire goalkeeper Nelson Dida has stood up for his client by attacking the Milan defence. “It’s their fault, not his,” Oscar Damiani argued.

The Brazilian was blasted in the Italian media for his performance in the 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich on Tuesday where he seemed at fault for both goals.

Those mistakes, coupled with a few more unconvincing displays this term, did raise question marks over the club’s decision to recently hand him a new £2.8m a season deal until 2010.

However, Damiani has today followed in the footsteps of President Silvio Berlusconi by backing the South American.

“The truth is that the Milan defence is inexistent and everyone is simply shifting the blame on to the goalkeeper,” the representative claimed.

“The errors at the back against Bayern, specifically by [Massimo] Oddo and [Alessandro] Nesta, were significant and my client can’t pay the penalty for those.

“Journalists need to take into account this aspect. Milan won’t get anywhere if they don’t put their defence right, no matter what Dida does.”

The World Cup shot-stopper, born in 1973, has been the Rossoneri’s undisputed No 1 since the 2002-03 campaign.