VIENNA. Austria. Oct 8 Austrian tennis officials on Tuesday mulled legal action over an ITF decision to uphold a line against Thomas Muster for his Davis Cup doubles walkout In Brazil Muster and his manager expre ssed disappointment at the verdict report agencies

It was a crazy vote of no-confidence in Thomas, it damages his reputation, said man ager Ronnie Leitgeb of the deci sion In London on Monday to uphold a 8.000 dollars fine imposed for leaving the court and making an obscene gesture during the Davis Cup match.

The world number three tennis player said on Tuesday he was deeply disappointed the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had voted against a replay of the Davis Cup tie against Brazil at a neutral venue.

Instead, the Austrian Davis Cup team were also ordered to forfeit 59.000 dollars in prize money for failing to complete the matchep in Sao Paolo alongwith the on-site fines for Muster.

The ITF demonstrated its refusal to be flexible," Muster told the Austrian news agency APA. Although, we presented our case clearly, they chose to trust their own delegates blindly instead."

Muster said he walked off because he felt threatened by fans, saying they hurled things at him. spat at and insulted him. and blinded him with a mirror. Austria automatically forfeited the doubles, and defaulted on two more singles to hand a 4-1 win to Brazil.

On Monday, the International Tennis Federation refrained from imposing further

sa notions on either Muster or th< ■ Austrian team.

Muster could have been sus-t>ei >ded from some matches or 1a< -d further fines. Austria mig ht have been kicked out of Dav is Cup competition for a year or relegated to the bottom rank s.

11 "F president Brian Tobin said after the decision Monday thal i was up to al) observers to judge it as they who saw it. The ITF’s I >avis Cup committee did not Impose any action on Brazil, and Tobin said It though t security arrangements — whic 11 the Austrians charged were lax — were very good

Leitgeb. Muster and the Austrian ten nis world disagreed.

"With this, the ITF is just encouraging boundless nationalism." Leitgeb told the Austria

Press Agency. ’And the ITF wasn’t big enough to admit that the wrong man was acting as umpire."

Antonio Marques of Portugal was umpiring the match In Sao Paolo. Austrian tennis of-fl< lais have quoted him as admitting that Muster was frightened by aggressive fan behaviour. butMarques publicly defended the Brazilians.

Muster, who flew to London with Leitgeb on Monday to appear before the ITF committee, broke Davis Cup rules with his walkout. It was proven that the ITF is an apparatus which doesn't move an Inch (millimeter) from Its guidelines. We put the facts on the table, but they believed their own official more than us."

What they could have done was really sent a signal and said, we want good events and top players in the Davis Cup." added Muster, who has pledged to play for Austria despite its relegation to Group Two in the Davis Cup.

■'When I appealed to them to draw a sharp line between loud fans and personal threats, all nodded.'' gdded Leitgeb. "But nothing happened."

The vice-president, of th# Austrian tennis federation. Christian Ransmayr. threatened unspecified legal action over the ITF move. The federation board was to consider the matter Friday.

Leitgeb indicated that Austria's appeal was doomed from the start because the national federation itself has cut such a low profile In the ITF.

"For years, we have not been represented in any competent way inside the ITF." said Leitgeb, who is also Davis Cup manager for Austria.

It was a long way to do." said Muster, who is seeded No 1 in the CA tournament in Vienna this week and left London before Monday’s decision was announced. "And in vain".