Dejan Lovren won’t be travelling to Euro 2016 with the Croatia national team.
Croatia boss Ante Cacic announced his 27-man provisional squad for the tournament on Monday and Dejan Lovren was the most notable omission.
The Liverpool defender fell out with Cacic when he refused to warm-up during the country’s friendly against Hungary in March. Cacic told all the players on the bench to warm up because it was cold in Budapest that night, but Lovren would not take part unless he was being brought on to play.
Lovren made matters worse by issuing an utlimatum saying, “I will not apologise, I will either travel to France as a first XI player or I am not going.”
Dejan Lovren says he will only go to Euro 2016 on one condition… https://t.co/1OLyCrzzmO
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOE_UK) April 12, 2016
Cacic called his bluff and omitted him from the provisional squad, pulling no punches with his explanation for leaving the defender out, speaking at Monday’s press conference.
“These are the best players we have at our disposal. Playing in the national team requires good form and total commitment at club and international level. We want to keep a sound atmosphere in the dressing-room.”
He did not rule out bringing Lovren back into the team, but confessed that it’s up to the player to extend the olive branch.
“I haven’t closed the door on Lovren for good, he can return one day if he realises that he has to be a team player. When it dawns on him that he can’t look down on his team-mates, the staff and the coach, he will perhaps find a way to get back in.”
Croatia’s provisional Euro 2016 squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Lovre Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Ivan Vargic (Rijeka), Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb).
Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kiev), Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo), Gordon Schildenfeld (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Strinic (Napoli), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen), Duje Caleta-Car (Red Bull Salzburg).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Alen Halilovic (Sporting Gijon), Domagoj Antolic, Marko Rog, Ante Coric (All Dinamo Zagreb).
Strikers: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Nikola Kalinic (Fiorentina), Marko Pjaca, Duje Cop (Both Dinamo Zagreb), Andrej Kramaric (Leicester City).
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