FIFA opened a disciplinary case against Croatia on Tuesday after its fans taunted Canada’s goalkeeper, who has Serbian family ties, during teams’ matches. world Cup Play.
FIFA stated that the charge against the Croatian Football Federation was “due to the behavior of its fans” and cited rules relating to discrimination and safety in sports.
canada goalkeeper milan borjan was born in an ethnic Serb region of Croatia that was part of the conflict that split the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
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Borjan’s family left their hometown in 1995 when it was taken over by the Croatian military amid stories that ethnic Serbs had fled on tractors.
During Canada’s 4-1 defeat on Sunday, a banner displayed by Croatia fans used the flag of tractor manufacturer John Deere and changed the marketing slogan to target Borjan.
Borjan moved to Canada with his family as a child and chose to represent that country in football, although he plays for Serbian club Red Star Belgrade.
FIFA gave no timetable for a decision on the matter, which would normally result in a fine for the federation.
In the first World Cup disciplinary decision on Tuesday, FIFA fined the German football federation 10,000 Swiss francs (US$10,500) for not bringing players to a news conference, which is mandatory the day before a game.
Coach Hansi Flick appeared alone on Saturday to meet the international media in Doha ahead of the team playing Spain, in breach of tournament rules.
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