Croatia manager Dalic has opted to throw Nikola Kalinicout of the World Cup squad on the morning of June 18. As there has been no official announcement, the head coach has yet to tell his side of the story later on Monday at a press conference.
Nikola Kalinic, AC Milan's striker, was to play against Nigeria as a second-half substitute in his team's first Group D match on Saturday. However, according to the Croatian media, the 30-year-old refused to do so, claiming he felt pain in his back.
READ MORE: Croatia Defeat Nigeria 2-0 in Teams' First Match at FIFA World Cup
The news has prompted furious reactions among internet users. Many of them claim the forward doesn't deserve to play for the Croatian team and slam Kalinic as an "embarrassment."
The manager's decision has been praised by some fans on Twitter.
Some have even called for Croatia to remove the striker from the team for good and demanded similar steps from his own football club.