Dejan Lovren Banned For Insulting Spain And Sergio Ramos

UEFA has banned defender Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren from Croatia’s opening European Championship qualifier after he appeared in a video insulting Spain.

The video was posted shortly after Croatia beat Spain 3-2 in November. It featured Lovren mocking Spain and appearing to hint he deliberately stuck Spain’s Sergio Ramos with his elbow.

He also told reporters after the match that Spain were “rude on the pitch” and bad losers.

UEFA said that Lovren had fallen foul of a clause in its disciplinary rules which penalises anyone “whose conduct is insulting or otherwise violates the basic rule s of decent conduct.”

UEFA has now banned Dejan Lovren from Croatia’s home qualifier against Azerbaijan on March 21.

UEFA also fined Croatia 13,000 euros ($15,000) over charges that fans threw objects and blocked stairways at Zagreb’s Maksimir Stadium.