Slaven Bilic: Ex-West Ham manager had ITV studio in hysterics at the 2018 World Cup | OneFootball

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·22 January 2022

Slaven Bilic: Ex-West Ham manager had ITV studio in hysterics at the 2018 World Cup

Article image:Slaven Bilic: Ex-West Ham manager had ITV studio in hysterics at the 2018 World Cup

The streets will never forget Slaven Bilic's spell as a pundit at the 2018 World Cup.

After being sacked as manager of West Ham United - the team he also represented as a player - in November 2017 following a poor run of results, the Croatian was called up to cover the biggest sporting tournament on the planet.


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Bilic was part of a star-studded punditry team assembled by ITV, with the likes of Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Gary Neville joining him in the studio.

And after a group stage match between Brazil and Switzerland, Bilic enjoyed his finest moment live on air.

During the in-depth analysis of the game, presenter Mark Pougatch asked whether Steven Zuber's equaliser for the Swiss should have been ruled out by VAR.

The midfielder appeared to shove his marker Miranda before meeting Xherdan Shaqiri's corner with a bullet header, with Brazil players demanding that the goal be disallowed.

So, should it have been chalked off? Well, Bilic kind of spoke for the entire world with his thoughts on the matter...

Video: Bilic's epic response to 2018 World Cup VAR debate

When pressed for his take on the matter, Bilic first replied: “If I was Brazil’s manager, I would ask for a foul, with a reason.

“If I was the Swiss manager, I would say ‘no foul’ - so it’s one of them.”

The former Everton defender was then asked for a definitive answer, to which he added in legendary fashion: “To be fair, I don’t care.”

Wright instantly burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, while even Keane managed to crack a smile - which tells you everything you need to know really.

Article image:Slaven Bilic: Ex-West Ham manager had ITV studio in hysterics at the 2018 World Cup

Slaven, you're an absolute hero!

After his stint as a pundit at the 2018 World Cup, Bilic returned to the management game in September of that year, joining Saudi Professional League outfit Al-Ittihad.

Sadly, he didn't last long there. The 53-year-old was sacked just five months into his tenure due to amassing just six wins in 20 matches.

Bilic then joined West Brom in June of 2019 and guided the Baggies back to the Premier League, only to be bizarrely given the boot after a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad.

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