Croatia Striker who refused to play against Nigeria rejects Medal

Nikola Kalinic of Croatia has rejected the silver medal given to him by his team after the FIFA World Cup.

The player who was sent home by Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic after refusing to come on as a substitute against Nigeria in the group opening match rejected the medal since he did not play in Russia.

He complained of back pain when called upon to warm up during the match by Dalic who had no option but to to send him back to Croatia.

“Thanks for the medal, but I did not play in Russia,” Kalinic told Sportske Novosti.

Kalinic had earlier missed out on the pre-tournament warm-up game with Brazil and was forced to sit out
training due to back spasms.