July 9 – In the latest political row involving players at the World Cup, Croatia’s Domagoj Vida has avoided punishment from FIFA after being filmed proclaiming “glory to Ukraine” in the wake of his side’s quarterfinal victory over Russia.
The defender, who scored Croatia’s second goal deep into extra time and has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, recorded the footage with Croatian scout Ognjen Vukojevic during the side’s celebrations in Sochi.
In the video, posted on social media platforms, Vida shouts out the phrase that continues to be used by many Ukrainians against Russia following the 2014 revolution that drove Ukraine’s pro-Moscow president from power. It has also been used against Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
In the footage, which subsequently went viral and caused outrage across Russia, Vukojevic, who earned 55 caps as a defensive midfielder before ending his international career after the 2014 World Cup, adds: “This victory is for Dynamo (Kiev) and for Ukraine.”
After a review of the incident, FIFA said it had simply issued a warning to Vida over his comments.
“We can confirm that FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has sent a warning to the player Domagoj Vida due to his video statement following the 2018 FIFA World Cup match between Russia and Croatia,” Fifa said.
Vida later played down his celebrations as a “joke”.
“This victory is for Croatia. No politics,” he told Sport Express. “I’ve got friends there since I joined Dynamo Kyiv, I didn’t mean anything else. I don’t see why Russian fans might not get it. I like Russian people. It was just a joke.”
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