World Cup Rivals Croatia Also Fined By Fifa,To Pay Five Times More Than Nigeria

Nigeria's World Cup rivals Croatia have also been fined by the governing body of association football, Fifa, for the inappropriate behavior of their fans during the World Cup qualifier between Croatia and Greece on November 9, 2017.

Fifa penalized the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) for violating Articles 58, 65 and 67 of FIFA's security rules.

The Croatian Federation were fined 30,000 Swiss francs (approximately N11 million) for the incident that occurred at Stadion Maksimir (Zagreb), but the outcome of the game will remain valid.

Croatia thrashed Greece 4-1 in the first leg of their World Cup playoffs, courtesy of goals from Modrić, Kalinić, Perišić and Kramarić, and qualified for the World Cup three days later in Piraeus after holding their hosts to a goalless draw.

The Nigeria Federation received a fine of CHF 6,000 and forfeited the match against Algeria for fielding an ineligible player Abdullahi Shehu.

Nigeria will face Croatia in their World Cup opener at the Kaliningrad Stadium (Kaliningrad), starting from 2000 hours on June 16, 2018.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel