A press conference has been called for Monday afternoon.
Croatia beat Nigeria 2-0 on Saturday night in their opening group game of this year’s World Cup. An own goal and a Luka Modrić penalty secured three points for Croatia, but problems arose when manager Zlatko Dalic wanted to bring on striker Nikola Kalinic.
According to Croatian newspaper, 24sata, the AC Milan striker reportedly refused his manager’s order, claiming he had a back injury.
Nikola Kalinić allegedly refused to enter the match v Nigeria in the 86th minute, claiming he has back problems.
It is expected that Zlatko Dalić will confirm later today that the Milan striker won't continue the tournament with the squad and will be sent home instead.
— Juraj Vrdoljak (@JurajVrdoljak) June 18, 2018
Dalic brought on Juventus winger Marko Pjaca instead of Kalinic, who is reportedly going to be sent home as a punishment for disobeying his manager’s orders.
A press conference has been called for 16:15 on Monday afternoon, when it is expected that Kalinic’s expulsion from the squad will be confirmed.
Croatia will play their second group game against Argentina on Thursday. Jorge Sampaoli’s side suffered a frustrating 1-1 draw against Iceland on Saturday, with Lionel Messi missing a penalty just to make matters worse.
Croatia will be confident of getting a positive result against Argentina, but it seems they will have to do it without the option of Kalinic. They do have Mario Mandzukic and Andrej Kramaric to call upon though.
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