Australia coach Guus Hiddink has blasted Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi's claims that the Socceroos would employ rough tactics against Zico's side in their World Cup opener on Monday.
Australia had Luke Wilkshire sent off in Australia's 1-1 draw with the Netherlands last week in a bruising encounter that left three Dutch players injured.
Kawabuchi told a group of Japanese journalists on Friday that Australia were a "dirty team" and would be "going for the ankles" in what will be a crunch game for both teams in Group F in Kaiserslautern.
"Australia are dirty and foul a lot. They will be going for the ankles and that makes us worried about injuries," Kawabuchi was quoted as saying by Japan's Sports Hochi newspaper. "Three players got injured in the Holland game, and it was too over the top."
But Hiddink, who has warned his players against picking up cautions, insisted the negative comments are an orchestrated campaign designed to influence referees.
"There was some comment it was a tough game last weekend, personally I was angry at some, not all, of the messages that we were playing tough," said Hiddink.
"I saw the whole game, and it was very fair. You see the injury to (Wesley) Sneijder, for instance. It was an injury he committed himself. The other one from (Philip) Cocu was a collision. It was nothing special, it was normal in a game.
"So I am very angry when people are suggesting we have a team who likes to fight."