Serbia captain forced to apologise after ranting 'I'm the best and should start'

SERBIA skipper Dusan Tadic has been forced into a humiliating apology after slamming coach Dragan Stojkovic.

Former Southampton star Tadic, 35, was furious after only starting on the bench for the defeat by England in Gelsenkirchen.

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Tadic, who made a late appearance as Serbia attempted to get back in the game, moaned after the match: “I am the captain and leader, the best player of the team and I should be starting.”

Now, though, Tadic has been forced to backtrack after being criticised by his team-mates.

In a statement, the Serbian FA disclosed: “In the hotel Maximilian in Augsburg, where the Serbian national team is staying during the European Championship in Germany, a meeting was held between the professional staff of the team, led by the selector Dragan Stojkovic, and the Serbian national team members.

“There was talk about upcoming obligations, and among other things, national team captain Dusan Tadic used the opportunity to apologise to coach Stojkovic and his teammates for his reckless statements after the match with England.

“According to the plan and program, the Serbian national team continues preparations for the second match at the European Championship.”

Tadic appears to have been put in his place by squad-mates.

Fiorentina centre-half Nikola Milenkovioc said: “Football is a collective sport and we are all on the same task.

“It’s the coach’s decision and it should be respected, just like every player of the national team respects that decision.”

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Jude Bellingham scored a first-half header to condemn Serbia to a defeat in their opening game of the Euros.

Next up for Serbia is a clash with Slovenia on Thursday, before they take on Denmark in their final group-stage match on June 25.

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