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<\/p>\nThe episode has dominated much of the build-up to Thursday’s World Cup play-off<\/p>\n
21:20, 25 Mar 2026Updated 21:25, 25 Mar 2026<\/p>\n
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Head coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sergej Barbarez has refused to apologise for comments made about former Swansea City boss Steve Cooper<\/p>\n
Bosnia boss Sergej Barbarez insists he has no reason to apologise to Steve Cooper after stunningly accusing the Brondby head coach of resting one of his players to help Wales’ World Cup bid.<\/p>\n
Wales face Bosnia in a play-off semi-final in Cardiff<\/a> on Thursday, with Italy or Northern Ireland awaiting the winners next Tuesday.<\/p>\n Barbarez previously claimed the Pontypridd<\/a> native had deliberately benched midfielder Benjamin Tahirovic in a bid to help Wales, an accusation that has been roundly denied by the Danish side.<\/p>\n J<\/strong>OIN US ON FACEBOOK! <\/strong>Follow Wales Online\u2019s Swansea City FB page for more news and analysis<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Tahirovic has reportedly apologised to former Swansea City<\/a> boss Cooper over the episode, but Barbarez himself seemed more unwilling to back down when asked on the eve of Thursday’s clash.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I should apologise for anything,\u201d he said at his pre-match press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only important thing for me is that I trust my players and the idea of all this was to create a puzzle for you, so you can think about all these things.<\/p>\n \u201cI had the idea to protect the player. That\u2019s where all this talking was from.<\/p>\n Cooper had reportedly received an apology from Tahirovic himself(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve known Benjamin for the last two years and I know what a good player he is and how he can be.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think we should concentrate on the match, which is the most important thing for both teams.\u201d<\/p>\n Wales boss Craig Bellamy was also asked about Barbarez’s comments at his own pre-match press conference earlier in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I told him (Cooper) \u2018rest your players and don\u2019t play anyone who\u2019s going to be here\u2019,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n \u201cI like Coops. I haven\u2019t spoken to him since he\u2019s gone to Brondby.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s rare you get that, because I don\u2019t think you\u2019d ever question anyone really.<\/p>\n \u201cAs much as I know Coops would love us to win because he\u2019s Welsh, he only cares about Brondby \u2013 and rightly so.\u201d<\/p>\n *Follow all of our social channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Swans news. Sign up to our<\/strong> daily newsletter here<\/strong><\/a> and our<\/strong> WhatsApp channel here<\/strong><\/a>. Our Swansea City correspondent Tom Coleman is also on social media. He can be found on his<\/strong> X account here<\/strong><\/a>, on<\/strong> Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, on<\/strong> TikTok <\/strong><\/a>and on<\/strong> Facebook<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_File-Photo-Leicester-City-Sack-Manager-Steve-Cooper.jpg\")
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