• Head coach delivers strong condemnation of 'crazy few'
• Speculation about possible 2-2 'fix' with Spain is dismissed
Croatia's head coach, Slaven Bilic, has delivered the strongest condemnation of racism yet and insisted that sanctions must be imposed in order to stamp out the problem forever. His words come two days before Uefa is due to make a decision on the punishment handed out after a banana was thrown on the pitch and around 200 fans made monkey chants during Croatia's 1-1 draw with Italy last Thursday.
The banana was not noticed during the game but evidence that it had been thrown by one of their fans emerged the following day, while fan observers said some Croatia supporters had indulged in racist chanting. Croatia have been charged with improper conduct by Uefa, with the verdict expected on Tuesday. The investigation comes in the aftermath of Russia being handed a suspended six-point punishment after fans fought with stewards in Wroclaw.
Asked whether he expects a similar punishment, Bilic did not shirk the issue. Instead, he called for stern action to be taken. "[Racism] is a big problem all around Europe and all around the world and on behalf of the entire nation, not even as a football manager, I want to say that I am really disappointed as a Croatian, a parent, and a sportsman, a person who comes from a modern, open-minded and tolerant state," he said.
"Everyone is welcome in our country. I don't like these kind of supporters and nor do my players. I live in Croatia and we really are a tolerant country. We are not a racist country and we are angry at these few crazy supporters. We have to put sanctions [in place] and stop these kind of supporters forever."
Bilic also responded to speculation surrounding Croatia's final group game with Spain. A 2-2 draw would guarantee that both sides go through, putting Italy out. But Bilic, like the Spain players before him, insisted there would be no pact.
"I can say the same thing on this issue as I did about racism. We are sportsmen, we are parents, we are normal people, most of us are Catholic people, or have another religion, and we do not even think about fixing the scoreline. I don't want to waste any more words on this.
"This is just a phenomenal match. The whole of Italy and Europe can calm down. They do not even need to think about this. This [fixing games] is a part of the brain we do not have. We have to be honest and we will play the game in an honest way. If the final score is 2-2, fine. That can happen. It is not going to be 7-7, which would be strange. To the Italians I say: 'Trust in us.'"
Bilic's discourse was one of patriotic pride and his tone spoke of the anger and hurt that accusations of racism have provoked. He spoke in glowing terms of Croatia's personality and explained how that has enabled a tiny country to compete with the best in the world. "We have been in the top 10 since our independence in 1994," he said.
The captain, Darijo Srna, said: "Even [Leo] Messi is not the same for Argentina as for Barcelona, or Ronaldo for Portugal as for Real Madrid. Croatian players play even better for national team than for the clubs. Croatia is a small country but we have a big character, we fight until the end. Not just in football but in all sports. Our character is very important and that is why we are always amongst the top teams." Read More
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