World Cup
“I forgot the question,” joked Moroccan player Brahim Díaz after the incident was resolved.
Moroccan head coach Mohamed Ouahbi midfielder and Brahim Diaz speak after a press conference altercation between two journalists at Boston Stadium prior to the World Cup quarterfinal. Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
The World Cup quarterfinal matchup between France and Morocco at “Boston Stadium” (Gillette Stadium) was already set to be a tense affair, even before an awkward standoff between journalists took place at a prematch press conference on Wednesday.
As Moroccan playmaker Brahim Díaz began speaking to reporters, he was quickly interrupted by a heated argument taking place in the audience.
“But why did you hit me?” a reporter could be heard asking in the background. “You can’t hit me.”
FIFA and team officials quickly descended on the scene, trying to calm the two journalists down.
“Gentlemen, please,” a FIFA official said.
“He hit me,” replied a reporter sitting near the back.
A video from Diario Sport showed more of the incident, including the face-to-face exchange of the two parties. Exactly what the dispute was — one of the journalists accused the other of “raising his hand twice” — is not completely clear.
The result was an awkward pause, with Díaz smiling sheepishly through it.
When the moment passed, the Moroccan midfielder was asked to resume, but had one problem.
“I forgot the question,” he joked, striking a timely comedic note.
The incident appears to have no relation to the matchup itself (it’s unclear what the nationalities of the two reporters in question are), though the French press conference was also not without some drama.
After answering a plethora of questions, French head coach Didier Deschamps got up to leave, but was beckoned by Moroccan media to answer a few more questions.
“Sorry, I have a bit of a drive home,” Deschamps said, with France commuting back to the Four Seasons hotel in Boston (and training at Bentley University).
“How many of your are there?” Deschamps questioned. “If 50 of you raise your hands, I’m not going to answer 50 questions.”
Hayden Bird
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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