
Brahim Diaz was on pre-match duties for Morocco (Image: BBC Sport)
Brahim Diaz’s pre-match interview ahead of Morocco vs France was disrupted after two journalists began fighting. The Real Madrid star was answering questions before the AFCON finalist’s quarter-final clash against the 2018 World Cup winners when chaos broke out inside the press conference room.
Morocco, who reached the semi-finals of the previous World Cup, have enjoyed a strong campaign in North America so far. After an opening-day draw with Brazil, the Atlas Lions defeated both Scotland and Haiti to secure safe progression into the round-of-32.
In what was one of the games of the round, Morocco and the Netherlands could only be separated by a penalty shootout, with the former keeping their cool to progress. In the round-of-16, it was a comfortable victory against co-hosts Canada, meaning Morocco marched on to the last eight, where they’ve been paired against pre-tournament favourities, France.
Diaz was put up to speak to the media on Tuesday afternoon, but midway through a question about the team’s mentality, his answer was brought to an abrupt halt. A startled Diaz was looking into the crowd, when one journalist could be heard screeching: “But why did you hit me? But why did you hit me? You can’t hit me.”
@cnnesportesSe NEM O BRAHIM DÍAZ, que tava lá, entendeu o que aconteceu, imagina a gente… 🤣🤣🤣 #CNNEsportes #CNNVirais #CNNNaCopa #BrahimDiaz♬ som original – CNN Esportes
Somebody on the stage, presumably the press officer, tried to intervene by saying: “Hey, hey, gentlemen, please, gentlemen.”
But the confrontation continued, with the journalist still alleging he’d been hit by the other reporter in question. By this point, a stunned Diaz was struggling to keep a lid on things himself, with the ex-Manchester City star smirking and giggling under his breath.
Things did eventually settle down, allowing the press conference to continue, but by that point, Diaz had lost his train of thought. The winger chuckled before saying: “I’ve forgotten the question!”

When he got back to answering questions, Diaz said: “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.”
And on Real Madrid team-mate 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.”