Video: Niko Kranjcar’s Dad orders team to miss a penalty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCwfsSz1fkU

Showing generosity that will hopefully extend to his son and fellow countrymen in the Euros, Niko Kranjcar’s Dad ordered his team to miss a penalty after it was achieved through unjust means.

Kranjcar’s auld lad, former Croatian manager Zlatko Kranjcar, is currently in charge of Iranian side Sepahan, who were up against Al Nasr in the Asian Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Sepahan were ahead 1-0 when an Al Nasr player collapsed in pain at the edge of his own area having fallen victim to what appeared to be an old fashioned football in the groin.

With Al Nasr in possession of the ball, one of their players knocked it out of play so that the injured player could receive treatment.

As fairness dictates, Sepahan knocked the ball back towards the Al Nasr goal, but one of their players is either very mean or didn’t know what the hell was going on, because he intercepted the ball, forcing an illegal intervention from the Al Nasr ‘keeper, who conceded a penalty and was sent off to make matters even worse.

Unhappy with the injustice perpetrated by one of his players, Kranjcar ordered that the penalty be missed and Sepahan's Omad Ebrahimi duly rolled the ball back to Al Nasr’s substitute ‘keeper.

With a man extra, Sepahan went on to win the game 3-0, so the missed penalty didn’t have much of an impact on the result overall, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

Hopefully the likes of Niko Kranjcar, Luka Modric and Nikica Jelavic can dispense some similar generosity towards Ireland in the opening game of the Euros during the summer, but we won’t be holding our breath.

Check out the bizarre series of events for yourself in the video above.