Simunic during the match last November. Photo: Beta.

Josip Simunic lost his appeal at sport’s highest court against a ten-match ban for leading fans in a chant associated with the WWII fascist Ustase movement at a Croatian international game.The international Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday upheld the temporary ban on Simunic for shouting one of the slogans of the Nazi-backed Ustase – a ruling that will see the veteran defender miss the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.

The ban was imposed by football’s world governing body FIFA in December last year after Simunic shouted the slogan at the national team’s World Cup play-off win over Iceland.

Monday’s appeals decision confirms that he will be unable to play or even enter a World Cup stadium in Brazil during the tournament, and Croatian media have speculated that the ban could end the 36-year-old’s international career after more than 100 appearances for the national team.

FIFA’s disciplinary committee explained its original decision by saying that the slogan was “discriminatory” and that it “offended the dignity of a group of persons concerning… race, religion or origin”.

It also fined the Australia-born defender 24,500 euro.

Simunic’s lawyer Davor Prtenjaca said that the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling was unjust.

“FIFA did not prove that Siminuc was offending anyone, nor that he had that intention to do so. This is not a triumph of justice but of the power of the world’s football association that based its decision on the political instead of legal aspects of this case,” Prtenjaca said.

The player has denied any intention to stir up ethnic hatred, saying he was only expressing his love for his country after the vital win over Iceland and “got carried away with my emotions”.

At the end of the victory in Zagreb on November 19, which saw Croatia qualify for the Brazil tournament, Simunic took the microphone and shouted “For the homeland!”, to which some sections of the crowd responded: “Ready!” – a chant closely linked to the Ustase regime.

The Croatian authorities fined him 3,200 euro for “spreading racial hatred”./balkaninsight/