Milan Borjan target of abusive signs, messages following Canada vs. Croatia
While Canada celebrated a historic moment at the FIFA World Cup, as Alphonso Davies scored his country's first-ever goal in the tournament, behind the goal posts among the crowd, goalkeeper Milan Borjan was the target of a number of abusive signs and jeers from some factions of the Croatian support.
Borjan, who was born and raised in Knin in 1987, was forced to leave his hometown during Operation Storm in 1995 – a major battle in a deeply-personal and political war that ultimately saw Borjan move to Winnipeg and, later, Hamilton in search of new beginnings.
It's a history that some of the opposition supporters used to taunt Borjan, as Sam Street reports:
Croatia fans held up this flag aimed at Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan.
— Sam Street (@samstreetwrites) November 27, 2022
"Knin 95 - Nothing runs like Borjan."
Knin is Borjan's hometown and the flag refers to the victory in the war over Serb separatists which saw Borjan and most Serbs from Croatia driven from their homes. pic.twitter.com/sH9JW9pOPD
Street goes on to explain that "The flag is of tractor manufacturer John Deere - a reference to Serbs in Croatia being forced to leave the country in refugee convoys on tractors" and added that Borjan was also the subject of jeers, boos, and derogatory labels.
Borjan's personal phone number was also reportedly leaked and spread to send abusive messages.
Canadian GK Milan Borjan, born a Croatian Serb, told the press after the game that his mobile number went viral among the 🇭🇷 fanbase, resulting in over 2500 texts packed with insults.
— Juraj Vrdoljak (@JurajVrdoljak) November 27, 2022
"That itself speaks a lot about who those people are", said Borjan. "I wish 🇭🇷 all the best".
Regarding the signs, jeers, and abusive messages, the Canadian goalkeeper remarked:
"It shows how primitive people are. I have nothing to comment on that. They should work on themselves and their families, because they obviously have some frustration, so they come here to vent."
He added, when asked if he would be reporting the abuse to Canada Soccer: "No need. These are children who show that they do not know what it is and how it was, that says everything about them.
"Kudos to the Croatia players. They behaved like gentlemen."
Nice touch from Croatia striker Bruno Petkovic who stuck up for Milan Borjan, saying:
— Sam Street (@samstreetwrites) November 27, 2022
"I've been targeted by the opposition fans quite a lot during my career, and it's not nice. That's the dark side of football, but we've gone through a lot in our careers". pic.twitter.com/vvmPmon4rS
