(Doha) “When you finally think you’re getting out of it / When there was, well there is still. – Stromae (Then we dance)
Canada’s head coach John Herdman is a busy man. He must prepare his troops for Sunday’s clash against the Croats. He will therefore not be able to attend the Stromae shows this weekend in Montreal, but I am sure he would have recognized himself in the words of the Belgian singer.
It’s now been three days – three days! – that he is struggling to explain why he declared, on television, that his players were going to “F the Croats”. His excuses did not calm the game. The Croats continue to scratch the bobo. They won’t stop at the sight of blood. They will get to the bone.
“The Croatian team deserves everyone’s respect, and the way he spoke was not a sign of respect,” said head coach Zlatko Dalić.
“I second what my coach just said. I can’t wait for the start of the match any longer,” continued Ivan Perisić.
Croatian journalists, who had already hounded John Herdman the day before, found new ways to revive the controversy. Perhaps you saw a Croatian tabloid on Friday showing a photomontage of Herdman naked, his penis covered with a tiny Canadian flag. The caption: “You have a tongue, but do you have balls? A reporter for this tabloid had the balls going to sit in the front row, ten feet from Herdman, to ask him a question from left field.
What did you think of our front page?
“My wife wants to know your sources,” Herdman joked. She wants to know who this guy is. I have more belly than him, because I eat too much here. »
Another Reporter: Mr. Herdman, have you put too much energy into this story? “We have been in a media blackout since November 14. Not much from the media reaches us. But when you get a text from your wife suggesting you train before coming back, you suspect something is up. [rires]. »
Let’s be serious for a moment. We are no longer in 1986. Even in their bubble, players have access to the outside world. Proofs ? Every day, players post ephemeral messages on their social networks. Under a message from Kamal Miller posted Thursday on Instagram, at least eight other players replied to him. Alistair Johnston also said on Friday that his phone was overheating due to the many text messages he received from his friends about his impending transfer to Glasgow Celtic. And hey, Stephen Eustáquio was sitting next to John Herdman at the press conference. He has clearly seen the proportions that this controversy assumes.
The guys know what’s going on.
They know their opponents will use Herdman’s words as additional motivation.
They know that in the psychological confrontation between the two clubs, Canada leaves with a yellow card against him.