The Croatian Football Federation has fired assistant coach Ognjen Vukojević over an ostensibly pro-Ukrainian video that sparked controversy during the World Cup in Russia.
The soccer player-turned-coach was stripped of his accreditation at the championship, removed as an observer of the national team, and sent back to Croatia.
The controversy erupted on July 7 after Croatia defeated Russia in penalty rounds. After the victory, Ognjen Vukojević and teammate Domagoj Vida, who had both previously played for Dynamo Kyiv, published a video on social media featuring the words “Glory to Ukraine!”
The slogan has become an extremely popular and mainstream expression since the country’s 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution.
In the video, Vukojević shouts, “Glory to Ukraine,” and Vida responds, “This is a victory for Dynamo and Ukraine. Croatia, onward!”
The statement angered some Russian social media users, and sparked controversy over the degree to which political statements are permissible in sports.
FIFA, which generally forbids political statements during the World Cup, issued a warning to Vida, the Washington Post reported. The Croatian Football Federation also warned him.
But the Federation went further than FIFA. Besides firing Vida, it also issued an apology for the video.
“HNS hereby apologizes to the Russian public for the actions of a member of the Croatian delegation,” it said in a statement. “Ognjen Vukojević and Domagoj Vida likewise apologize for their statements, which were in no way intended to have political connotations, yet which unfortunately left room for such interpretations.”
After the video appeared online, Vida stated that he hoped it would be perceived not as a political statement, but as a “sign of gratitude to Ukrainians for supporting him during the tournament,” Evropeiska Pravda reported.
