Premier League star SENT HOME from international duty for ‘breaking rules’ and ‘visiting nightclubs until 2am’ but insists decision was ‘not fair at all’

Kosovo’s national football team was rocked by controversy on Sunday after three players were expelled from the squad for allegedly breaking team rules.

One of the players at the centre of the scandal was Premier League goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who was sent off along with Edon Zhegrova and Florent Muslija.

The three players were accused of visiting a nightclub during an international break. The offence took place after Kosovo’s 3-0 defeat to Romania on Friday afternoon.

According to reports, the players stayed in the nightclub until 2am, leading to swift disciplinary action from the Kosovo Football Federation (FFK).

The FFK issued a statement confirming the players’ dismissal, explaining that the decision was taken jointly by the team’s coach, Franco Foda, and the federation’s leadership.

Kosovo’s national football team was rocked by controversy on Sunday after three players were dropped from the squad

Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, winger Edon Zhegrova and midfielder Florent Muslija were all accused of visiting a nightclub during an international match

The statement read: ‘Based on a joint decision between coach Franco Foda and the federation, three footballers have been excluded: Arijanet Muric, Edon Zhegrova and Florent Muslija, for violating the national team regulations set by the coach and the federation.’

In addition, the association announced that FC Drita goalkeeper Faton Maloku would be called up as a replacement for the team. They write: ‘The FFK Executive Committee will decide on further measures against the footballers involved. In the meantime, FC Drita goalkeeper Faton Maloku, who was on the waiting list, will join the team.’

The incident attracted a lot of attention, with reports circulating on social media that videos of the players in the nightclub had surfaced, adding fuel to the fire.

Despite the controversy, the players appeared to show little remorse. Zhegrova took to Instagram to dismiss the posts as “fake news,” while Muric claimed they were only at the club for the food, not the partying.

He added: ‘The decision was absolutely not fair to us and the rumours that are going around are absolutely not true.’

All three players have enjoyed relatively successful careers at their clubs and their absence will undoubtedly be felt in Kosovo’s qualifying campaign for Euro 2024.

Muric, who joined Ipswich Town from Burnley for £15million this summer, secured his 39th full international appearance as Kosovo were beaten 3-0 by Romania in Pristina on Friday.

According to reports, the players stayed in the nightclub until 2am, leading to swift disciplinary action from the Kosovo Football Federation (FFK)

All three players have enjoyed relatively successful careers at their respective clubs, and their absence will undoubtedly be felt in Kosovo’s qualifying campaign for Euro 2024.

Muric made just 10 Premier League appearances last season as the Clarets were relegated back to the Championship under the management of Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany.

Muric’s absence will be felt in the Kosovo squad given his impressive performances during the 2022-23 season, which saw him help Burnley to promotion to the Premier League.

However, Muric made just ten Premier League appearances last season as the Clarets were relegated back to the Championship under the management of Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany.

Still, Muric enjoyed a successful start to his career at Ipswich, being nominated for the Save of the Month award in August after beating Erling Haaland from close range.

Zhegrova, meanwhile, is a rising star in Ligue 1 and has been a regular contributor for Lille since joining the French club, while Muslija – who is 26 and plays in Germany’s top division – has been a consistent performer for SC Freiburg – who currently sit 10th in the Bundesliga this season.