Canada manager John Herdman lit the touch paper ahead of his side's game with 2018 runners-up Croatia.
In the heat of the moment, following his side's narrow defeat to Belgium on Wednesday, Herdman was asked what he had told his team in the aftermath of the game, to which the Englishman responded:
"I told them they belong here and that we are going to 'eff' Croatia. It is as simple as that".
His quote was very-much adrenaline-fueled but it has taken the spotlight off matters on the pitch and turned Sunday's tie into somewhat of a grudge match.
His opposite number Zlatko Dalic, however, is keen to keep the focus on his players as he responded:
"I'm not sure how nice it is for him to say that but it is his right. We need to show on the pitch that we are better and use it to motivate us"
Herdman means no disrespect:
Herdman was asked in his follow-up press conference if he had disrespected or underestimated the Croatians.
"I didn't mean any disrespect to the Croatian team or Croatian people but I was asked what I said so I was honest. We know it is the type of attitude we have to have if we are going to compete with one of the best teams in the world. This is the attitude of 'The New Canada"
Meanwhile, Croatian manager, Dalic, was left frustrated by his side's goalless stalemate with Morocco in their opener.
"We lacked courage. I can only complain that their was a lack of determination and unfortunately we lost Nikola (Vlasic) in the first half but we will not complain and move forward."
Regarding, the fitness of West Ham forward, Vlasic, Dalic confirmed that he has been put through his paces in training and should start.
Johnston and teammates focused on on-pitch matters:
Influential Canada defender Alistair Johnston played down the off-field drama that included Croatian tabloid 24sata publishing a rather unflattering picture of Herdman.
"We are playing a team that came second at the last World Cup and is ranked 12 in the world so they don't need any extra motivation."
However, the 24-year-old CF Montreal defender - who is being heavily linked with a January move to Scottish champions Celtic - told the assembled press in Doha that, despite the defeat on Wednesday, the mood in the Canadian squad is far from downbeat:
"The guys are obviously frustrated with the result but I've never seen morale so high after a loss.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what is said or what is published in the newspapers, it all comes down to those 90 minutes on the pitch on Sunday."
