Croatian spectators accused of ‘traitoring’ Millen borian …
The Croatian Football Federation is expected to be disciplined for criticizing the Canadian national soccer team player from Croatia.
The U.S. AP reported on the 29th (Korea Standard Time) that “FIFA has begun disciplinary procedures against Croatia over the issue of fans mocking the Serbian Canadian goalkeeper in the match against Croatia on the 28th.”
At the center of the problem is Canadian national team goalkeeper Millen Borian (35, Tsrvena Zvezda). He received as many as 2,500 text attacks after the match against Croatia at that country. It was a swear word written in Croatian. Some Croatian spectators shouted ‘Ustasha’ at Boris during the match. Ustasha is the name of a Croatian separatist movement that massacred hundreds of thousands of people during World War II.
The angry Borian was born in 1987 in Knin, Croatia. He left Croatia with his parents in 1995 when he was seven years old. He settled in Belgrade, Serbia, to escape the Yugoslav war that took place at the time. He then moved to Ontario, Canada in 2000, where he grew up. Growing up as a professional footballer, he played mainly in South America, but has played in Serbia since 2009.
Serbia is an arms race with Croatia. Croatian fans criticized him for leaving his country and playing in hostile national leagues.
FIFA is also sensitive to the behavior of fans, which can be seen as a political problem. The Associated Press explained, “FIFA will be held responsible by the Croatian Football Federation ‘because of the actions of its fans’, which is based on discrimination and competition security regulations.”