Badelj: Kalinic had an ego

By Football Italia staff

Milan Badelj believes Croatia made the right decision to send Nikola Kalinic home from the World Cup. “You have to put your ego to one side…”

Kalinic was ejected from Croatia’s World Cup campaign after he refused to come on as a substitute during their 2-0 win against Nigeria on Saturday, and Badelj praised his country for dealing with the issue swiftly.

“What happened didn’t affect us,” the departing Fiorentina midfielder told reporters.

“The first thing is the team, you have to put your ego to one side when you talk about your national team.

“The same respect is needed at club level, but it’s needed even more at international level because it’s a more specific situation and we’re not here as much.

“The important thing that we maintain unity and a good atmosphere in the dressing room.”

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