Croatia’s players are refusing to talk to World Cup media after photos of them were published bathing nude in their hotel pool, coach Niko Kovac says.
The blackout was enforced after two photographers hid in bushes near the team hotel and took pictures of players that appeared online.
“How would you feel if someone took naked pictures of you?” Kovac told a press conference in Praia do Forte.
“They are adamant that they won’t speak to you lot any more.”
He added: “I don’t know whether the silence will end tomorrow or last until the end of our World Cup campaign.”
Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren and former Manchester City defender Vedran Corluka, now with Lokomotiv Moscow, featured prominently in the photographs.
Kovac added: “I respect my players’ opinion and I also know that you have done a very professional job so far but you blew it with this one. The whole world has seen the photos.
“It’s easy for me to talk but I’m not part of this story. I respect their opinion. What can I do? I cannot pull them by the ears and say, ‘let’s go talk to media’.”
Croatia, who lost their opening World Cup Group A match 3-1 to hosts Brazil in Sao Paulo, play Cameroon in their second game on Wednesday in the Amazonian city of Manaus.
