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England captain David Beckham and team mate Gary Neville led the silent protest in Poland on Wednesday night after receiving criticism from the media for drawing 2-2 with Austria on Saturday, despite being 2-0 up at half time and ranked 60 places above Austria in world rankings.

The players were particularly unhappy about The Sun's depiction of goalkeeper David James as a donkey, which they said was offensive.

The players refused to talk to the media after their 2-1 victory against Poland in Kakowice on Wednesday. The players usually stand in front of sponsors' logos and talk to reporters after the match.

Soho Square, home to the FA, has warned the team if they neglect their duties on and off the pitch they could face serious disrepute among sponsors.

According to reports, Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein spent an hour before the Poland game trying to get the players to drop the silent protest.

The squad has already suffered major fall-outs with paymasters over the past year and, by refusing to speak after the Poland match, they have damaged relationships further and have been officially warned to toe the line in future.

The blackout went down badly at Sky Sports, which owns the rights to England's home matches as part of a £150m deal with the Football Association.

Sky presenters condemned the players, with one saying that the players were out of control and that the FA must sort the situation out.

England not only offended the FA and its sponsors, but fans were left fuming after not being able to hear the players' views after the World Cup qualifying match against Poland.

However, the move was supported by Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association.

"They are paid for what they do on the pitch and not off it. There's a strong feeling of unity in the squad and I can understand if they feel that things have gone too far. I wouldn't expect the boycott to continue. The media blackout is, however, the latest example of a hardening of attitude in the England squad," he said.

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