Miralem Pjanic, on loan at Besiktas from FC Barcelona, has denied missing Bosnia's final World Cup qualifier against Ukraine for disciplinary reasons. Media in his home country had reported that the midfielder had been sent home by coach Ivaylo Petev after pictures emerged of Pjanic in a bar with a hookah and alcoholic drinks.
"I officially deny this news. The fact that I did not play was a decision made together with the coach," Pjanic wrote on Instagram. "Besides, these are old photos," he added, garnishing his post with the phrase "fake news."
Pjanic is absent from the meaningless final game
According to the Bosnian media, Pjanic celebrated on the eve of the previous qualifying game against Finland - and then put on a manageable performance against the Scandinavians, which called his coach into action.
After the 3-1 defeat by Finland, the Bosnians were no longer in with a chance of qualifying for the tournament in Qatar, so the 2-0 defeat didn't really matter.
