Bišcan banned after walkout
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Article summary
Igor Bišcan will almost certainly miss UEFA EURO 2004™ after he was banned from Croatia duty for six months.
Article body
Backdated ban
The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) imposed the suspension after the player left the squad's training camp on the eve of their qualifying match against Bulgaria in Zagreb on 11 October. The ban has been backdated to 8 December, which is when Bišcan's conduct was first reported to the HNS.
'No explanation'
The organisation's disciplinary body agreed the maximum possible sanction for the 25-year-old, who recently stated he was no longer interested in playing for the national team. Ante Tomaš, the body's president, said: "Bišcan was given the highest possible penalty because he failed to respond to our request that he justify his walkout."
Good form
Bišcan had not featured for Croatia since September 2001 but had been recalled for the Bulgaria game after good form for his English club Liverpool FC. However, despite the ban ending just before the start of the finals, there is virtually no chance of the former NK Dinamo Zagreb player being selected in the 23-man squad to represent Croatia in Portugal.
