Five Players Who Have Been Sent Home from World Cup
Jun 19, 2018 at 6:53 PM
Croatia forward, Nikola Kalinic sent home from the FIFA World Cup 2018 after refusing to come on as a substitute during his side’s opening game.
Kalinic joins a prestigious list of players to have been sent home from the World Cup – including Diego Maradona, Roy Keane and Nicolas Anelka.
Here is the list of five other players who left the World Cup early,
5. Willie Johnson (Scotland)
The West Brom man was sent home from the 1978 World Cup in Argentina by the Scottish Football Association after failing a drug test.
He fell foul of Fifa’s early doping procedures after taking hayfever tablets before their 3-1 defeat by Peru.
Johnston was a last-minute replacement for Archie Gemmill to do a urine test but failed and was quickly sent home.
4. Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland)
Roy Keane’s departure from the Republic of Ireland’s training camp was one of the most memorable moments of the 2002 World Cup.
He was unhappy with the standard of Ireland’s preparations. And, it boiled over into an expletive-laden bust-up with boss Mick McCarthy in front of the squad at their base on the Pacific island of Saipan.
Instead of preparing to play the opener against Cameroon, Keane kept busy by walking around Cheshire with his dog Triggs.
3. Zlatko Zahovic (Slovenia)
Roy Keane was not the only player to leave the 2002 World Cup early with Slovenia playmaker Zahovic following him.
The Benfica midfielder clashed with coach Srecko Katanec in their 3-1 defeat by Spain.
The Slovenia Football Federation decided to send Zahovic home early after that scene. Rudi Zavrl, the president of the federation at the time, said:
“Zahovic has continued with his attitude which was damaging for the atmosphere surrounding the team.”
2. Nicolas Anelka (France)
France striker Anelka got axed from his country’s squad in South Africa after falling out with coach Raymond Domenech.
The forward, then at Chelsea, reportedly launched a verbal attack on the manager at half-time of their 2-0 defeat by Mexico at the 2010 World Cup.
Anelka refused to apologise, and as a result, the France Federation decided to send him back home. He also got banned for 18 games. Although, he retired from international football before the suspension.
1. Diego Maradona (Argentina)
The Argentina star booted out of USA 94 after failing a drug test before their final group game with Bulgaria.
He had previously led Argentina to the title in 1986 and to 1990 final, where they lost to West Germany.
Maradona scored in their 4-0 win over Greece before failing his test. It also signalled the end of his successful and controversial international career.