Croatia ban Biscan for six months
ZAGREB, Croatia (Reuters) -- Igor Biscan has been banned from playing for Croatia for six months after the Liverpool played walked out on the squad last year, media reported.
The midfielder quit on the eve of Croatia's Euro 2004 qualifier at home to Bulgaria in October -- and gave no reason.
"Biscan was given the highest possible penalty because he failed to respond to our request that he justify his walkout," Croatian FA disciplinary committee president, Ante Tomas, said.
Two weeks ago Biscan informed the FA by fax that he was not motivated to play for Croatia any more but did not say why he had left the team without explanation.
The committee then gave him another two weeks to justify himself.
Biscan's ban starts from December 8, 2003, the day the national team management reported his behaviour to the FA.
It will expire on June 8 -- four days before the start of the Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal where Croatia are in the same group as England, France and Switzerland.
Biscan, 25, had been called into the squad for the Bulgaria match by coach Otto Baric after a two-year absence.
He won the last of his 14 caps as a late substitute in a World Cup qualifying match against Scotland in September 2001.
Biscan joined Liverpool from Dinamo Zagreb for 3.5 million pounds ($6.53m) in December 2000.
Romania ban Steaua quartet
Four Steaua Bucharest players have been banned from playing for Romania after failing to join the squad to prepare for an international friendly tournament in Cyprus, officials said.
Mirel Radoi, Florentin Dumitru, Dorinel Munteanu and Nicolae Dica failed to join up with the squad, as requested, six days before the friendly against Georgia in Larnaca on February 18 .
Steaua coach Victor Piturca said this week he was only prepared to release the players two days before the match as they were preparing for the resumption of the Romanian league season at the club's own training camp -- also in Cyprus.
"The four players will be not called to play for the national team for un undetermined period of time," a Romanian Federation statement said.
Romania coach Anghel Iordanescu described the boycott as "a sabotage of the national team."
He has called up National Bucharest's Gabriel Caramarin, Rapid Bucharest forward Nicolae Constantin and Dinamo Bucharest defender Dan Alexa.
