Brahim Diaz was speaking to the media ahead of Morocco’s World Cup quarter-final against France when a confrontation broke out between two journalists
Brahim Diaz’s pre-match interview ahead of the Morocco vs France match was thrown into disarray when two journalists started brawling. The Real Madrid ace was fielding questions prior to the AFCON finalist’s quarter-final showdown with the 2018 World Cup victors when pandemonium erupted in the press conference room.
Morocco, who made it to the semi-finals in the last World Cup, have had a solid run in North America thus far. Following an initial draw with Brazil, the Atlas Lions triumphed over both Scotland and Haiti, ensuring their smooth advancement to the round-of-32.
In one of the most thrilling matches of the round, Morocco and the Netherlands were only separated by a penalty shootout, with the former holding their nerve to progress. In the round of 16, they comfortably defeated co-hosts Canada, propelling Morocco into the last eight, where they face pre-tournament favourites, France.
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Diaz was scheduled to address the media on Tuesday afternoon, but his response to a question about the team’s mindset was abruptly cut short.
A visibly shocked Diaz was seen peering into the crowd as one journalist could be heard shrieking: “But why did you hit me? But why did you hit me? You can’t hit me.”
An individual on stage, presumably the press officer, attempted to defuse the situation by saying, “Hey, hey, gentlemen, please, gentlemen.”
However, the dispute persisted, with the journalist maintaining that he’d been struck by the other reporter. At this stage, a bewildered Diaz was finding it hard to keep his composure, as the former Manchester City player tried to suppress his laughter.
Eventually, things calmed down and the press conference resumed, but Diaz had lost his train of thought by then. The winger laughed before admitting: “I’ve forgotten the question!”
Once he returned to answering queries, Diaz stated: “We showed an exceptional mentality and proved what we are capable of achieving.
“We want to keep moving forward… Tomorrow [Thursday], we have a very important match, and everyone wants to play it and contribute to achieving the goal.”
Regarding his Real Madrid colleague Kylian Mbappe, he added: “As for Kylian Mbappe, he is a great player with exceptional qualities. We will meet tomorrow on the pitch, and both sides will go into the match aiming to win,” he said. “For my part, I will give everything I have to help Morocco secure victory.”