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Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic and veteran Ivan Perisic were not happy with Canada coach John Herdman's comments ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup clash.
Herdman recently revealed that he asked his team to 'eff' Croatia up in the upcoming meeting between the two countries. The word 'eff' was used to avoid profanity on international television.
After Canada's 1-0 loss to Belgium on their first game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Herdman told the media (via Daily Mail):
"I told them they belong here. And we're going to go and eff Croatia."
He explained the comments the following day, saying:
"You say those things in an impassioned moment trying to inspire your team in a huddle, and when you're asked the question what you said in that huddle, yeah, it was what I said, It's not massively respectful to Croatian people and the Croatian national team. I understand very well where they're at on the world stage. But in that moment, you've taken your men to that next place."
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic, who led the team to the final of the 2018 World Cup, reacted to the comments. He asked for more respect for the Croatian national team. Dalic said:
The Croatia team deserves respect from everyone. We have proven that by the way we have played and by our conduct during the World Cup.
"We are the runners-up, second in the world. We respect everyone equally so we expect our opposing teams to respect us. This way of putting words together is not a sign of respect."
Veteran Ivan Perisic echoed his coach's sentiments and sent a war cry toward Canada, saying:
"I second the head coach and I cannot wait for the match to begin."
Croatia and Canada coaches previewed their 2022 FIFA World Cup clash
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic and Canada coach John Herdman previewed their upcoming FIFA World Cup clash on November 27. Dalic said:
"This will be a difficult match. We have to adopt an aggressive stance, as it will be more difficult than against Morocco. Canada are a tough team."
Herdman said:
"We've been on a media blackout since November 14, so there's not much we see in the media, but when you get a text from your wife telling you you need to start working out before you get home, you know something's going on! We're super-excited for a huge, huge match."
He added:
"Our team are bright and clear ready to go, and it's going to be a defining moment for Canada in this World Cup. It's one of those 'do or die' games that we have to we have to perform in to stay at a World Cup."
