SOGWIPO, June 6: Zlatko Zahovic, Slovenia’s most famous player, was sent home on Thursday after he swore at coach Srecko Katanec following his team’s 3-1 opening defeat to Spain.

Twenty four hours after Katanec announced he would stand down at the end of the World Cup because of his showdown with Zahovic, Slovenian officials said the forward’s abuse of the coach and his subsequent “harmful behaviour” were hurting the squad’s chances.

“The conditions haven’t changed and calmed despite the decision that Zahovic stays in the squad,” the Slovenian Football Association (FAS) said in a statement.

“Zahovic continued with behaviour which is harmful for the atmosphere in the team. This is why the present decision has been made in agreement with the head coach Katanec.

“The head coach has the full support of the leadership of the FAS delegation, coaching staff and the players, and the decision has been made with an aim of calming the atmosphere in the squad and putting all the energy to the following World Cup matches.”

Zahovic appeared calm when he left the team hotel.

“I’m leaving now, I think there will be no more problems. This is the best solution ahead of the remaining matches at the World Cup,” Zahovic told Slovenian television. A statement issued by the rest of the team blamed him for the bust-up with Katanec.

He is the second player to be thrown out of a World Cup squad after Ireland captain Roy Keane was sent home before the month-long tournament began for abusing coach Mick McCarthy.

Zahovic, known as a temperamental player, was incensed at being substituted in the second half of that game and swore at Katanec on the pitch and later at the team hotel.

Zahovic was all set to fly home Wednesday before team officials, desperate to keep their best player, persuaded him to stay. After Katanec announced he would resign, Zahovic apologised to him and asked him to stay on.

The row was the latest clash between the stylish Benfica attacker and the coach widely credited with guiding the tiny nation of two million people to their first World Cup since Slovenia split from the Yugoslav Federation in 1991.

The FAS said it had expelled Zahovic because of his abuse of Katanec, his rudeness towards the association’s president and his continued discussion of the feud with the press.

It denied that Zahovic had had the support of the other players in his dispute with Katanec as the player had claimed.

“In spite of numerous violations of the agreement which was supposed to assure the normal conditions for the next matches, the leadership first decided to keep him in the squad, aiming for the best result of the team,” the association said.

“He repeated the incorrect statements in a public statement after the practice on June 5, where he represented himself as a victim although he is the only one to blame for the current situation.

“He described the incident incorrectly, insulted the head coach and abused the trust of the players again by stating that they agree with him, since they have in reality condemned his behaviour but agreed that he should stay with the team.”

As Zahovic left, Slovenia’s captain Ales Ceh read a team statement blaming Zahovic for the row with Katanec.

“We did give our support to Zahovic staying only for the sake of the team’s sporting interests, in order to get a better result,” the statement read by Ceh said.—Reuters