Slaven Bilic hit back at his tormentors here on Saturday night as the most hated man in France won the World Cup's bronze medal. Croatia beat Holland 2-1 in their play-off, but the 45,000 crowd booed and whistled when Bilic's name was read out from the team sheet after his altercation with Laurent Blanc got the Frenchman sent off last week, denying him a place in the final.

The vitriolic abuse continued whenever he went to touch the ball and even returned after the match when organising chairman Lennart Johansson hung a bronze medal around the defender's neck. But Bilic blamed the press for his treatment and admitted thatthe match at the Parc des Princes had been a trial for him. "I know that I am an honest player," he said. "I am not a cheat. Laurent Blanc is a good player but he made a mistake and I don't know why French people are making a hero out of him: they are manipulated by everything they read. It took a lot of strength of character to overcome all these whistles."