Zlatko Dalic, the head coach of Croatia, claimed his team deserved respect for finishing second in the most recent World Cup after John Herdman, the manager of Canada, said "we are going to Fuck Croatia" before Sunday's match.
Herdman claimed in an interview after Canada's opening match, which they lost 1-0 to Belgium despite outplaying the second-ranked team: "I informed the players that they belonged here and that we would be effing Croatia. The simplicity ends there."
With the title, "You have the mouth, but do you have the balls as well?" a tabloid published a full-page photograph of Herdman while he was naked, with maple leaves covering his lips and private areas.
Herdman later appeared repentant, claiming he didn't mean to offend the Croatian team or the Croatian people, but Dalic disagreed.
"This kind of language does not demonstrate respect. We should be respected because we came in second. I won't concentrate on and respond to other people's views, "On Saturday, Dalic told reporters.
"Everyone should show respect to the Croatian team. We have demonstrated that via the way we play and the way we have behaved in the World Cup.
"We regard everyone equally, so we anticipate the same respect from our adversaries. They ought to respect us. We'll show respect for everyone and be prepared (for the game)."
The Canadians, who are participating in the World Cup finals for the first time in 36 years, are a "serious team," according to Dalic.
"They traveled far (against Belgium) and put up a lot of effort and energy; therefore, we must exercise caution.
You cannot relish the grandeur of the past; we must perform at our best, said the coach of one of the underdog teams in the competition.
Ivan Perisic, a winger, praised Canada's performance against Belgium but criticized their lack of aggression.
The Tottenham Hotspur player added, "We have to be very quick and adopt an aggressive mindset, be enthusiastic, and if we play our game we will have a fantastic performance and outcome."
In Group F, where Belgium is in first place with three points and Canada is in last place with none, Croatia is tied with Morocco with one point.
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