Croatia send their reluctant substitute Nikola Kalinic home

• Striker refused to come off bench against Nigeria
• Coach says same thing happened in Brazil friendly

The Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic has been sent home from the World Cup finals after refusing on Saturday to enter the Group D match against Nigeria as a substitute.

Zlatko Dalic, the Croatia coach, confirmed in a statement on Monday that the forward would be returning home. Dalic said that Kalinic had claimed he was not fit to play when asked to enter the match, which Croatia won 2-0, during the final minutes.

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