Gareth Southgate has confirmed that the England squad will walk the entire length of the Adriatic coastline, from Trieste to the heel of Italy, before taking the field against Croatia in Rijeka. The Football Association described the 800-kilometre march as «a standard pre-match character assessment» and insisted it will be completed by kickoff.
The Croatian Football Federation responded by announcing that every senior national team player must now swim the same route in open water, with head coach Zlatko Dalić stating that «if the English want to arrive tired, we will arrive soaked.» Local fishermen in Rijeka have been hired to follow the swimmers with nets and hot tea.
UEFA has provisionally approved the arrangement, noting that the match will still start at the scheduled time. A spokesperson said the governing body was «satisfied that both teams will be equally exhausted, which is what the Nations League was always about.»
By Thursday, the England squad had reached the outskirts of Split, where Southgate reportedly told players to «pick up the pace, we still have a ferry to catch.» The Croatian team was last seen entering the water near Pula, with Dalić shouting that the return leg would be played on foot across the Dinaric Alps.