Dusan Vlahovic refused to take a penalty for Fiorentina against Cagliari today, despite his coach and teammates urging him to step up.
This was the Serbian’s first match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi since the club announced he would not be signing a new contract, therefore pushing for a transfer away from Florence.
There were concerns as to how the Viola fans would deal with the situation and evidently that was his mind when a penalty was awarded for Keita Balde Diao’s handball.
There had been some jeering for Vlahovic in the warm-up, so when the time came, Nico Gonzalez handed him the ball and he walked away.
Trying to work out what to do next, Giacomo Bonaventura called over captain Cristiano Biraghi, who sent Alessio Cragno the wrong way to convert.
It will be another worrying chapter in the contract dispute between Vlahovic and Fiorentina, with Juventus the favourites to snap up the striker.
There is also interest from Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
Episodio destinato a far discutere. #Vlahovic rifiuta di calciare il rigorehttps://t.co/elxRgJllvS
— Violanews Fiorentina (@violanews) October 24, 2021