Xuenou > Sports > Canada boss jokes ‘my wife wishes she had that guy’ after naked newspaper mock-up
Canada boss jokes ‘my wife wishes she had that guy’ after naked newspaper mock-up
Canada boss jokes 'my wife wishes she had that guy' after naked newspaper mock-up,John Herdman has took the fight to Croatia after boldly insisting his Canada team will 'F' Croatia in their next World Cup match following their defeat to Belgium in their opener

Canada boss jokes ‘my wife wishes she had that guy’ after naked newspaper mock-up

Canada boss John Herdman joked 'my wife wishes she had that guy' after responding to a Croatia newspaper that mocked him up in the nude on their front cover.

It comes after Herdman insisted his side would 'F' Croatia up in their World Cup clash, which is set to go ahead on Sunday afternoon. After losing to Belgium in their opening match of the tournament, the 47-year-old came out fighting.

“I told them (Canada) they belong here and we’re going to go and ‘F’ Croatia,” he said after the match on Wednesday. “That’s as simple as it gets.”

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It saw the 47-year-old targeted by the Croatian press with newspaper 24 Sata showing a mocked-up naked Herdman accompanied by a Canadian flag in the shape of a maple leaf covering his nether regions. The headline read: "You have the mouth, but do you have the balls as well?"

And Herdman has since responded in jest, joking: "My wife is coming after you guys. She wishes she had that guy."

The Canada boss – who is the first manager to coach both men's and women's teams – moved to dampen the heightening row. While joking that he's "got a bit of a gut now", he added: “We’re in a light, bright, clear place. If anyone knows how I operate, I’m always onto the next task. And loving the experience.”

John Herdman
John Herdman had some fighting talk ahead of Canada's match against Croatia (Image: Getty Images)

The North American team looked in fine fettle against Belgium and on another day would have walked away with all three points after an electric start that saw him manage 12 shots in 30 minutes. Star man Alphonso Davies even had a penalty saved before Michy Batshuayi decided the match with the only goal of the match.

As well as Davies, the Canadians have some exciting players such as Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan and have plenty of confidence ahead of games against Croatia and Morocco. Herdman said: “We’ve got goals here, and the goals have to be with that mentality.”

“We have to get after it. Get on the front foot, be proactive. They’ve been buying into that mentality since day one.”

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