No Spanish for the World Cup? Hakimi, Vini Jr silenced by bizarre FIFA media rules
Ahead of Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco, there was an unexpected point of discussion, but it didn’t have much to do with tactics or team news. The Group C match between the South American giants and Africa’s top team was marred by confusion during the pre-match media sessions, where both Vinicius Junior and Achraf Hakimi were reportedly discouraged from speaking Spanish when addressing journalists.
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The first incident involved Hakimi during a Moroccan press conference. The reporter asked the Moroccan captain, who grew up in Madrid and speaks fluent Spanish, a question. Despite this, event officials reportedly intervened and informed journalists that questions should be asked in English.
Hakimi tried to explain that language would not be a problem, stressing that he was comfortable communicating in Spanish. However, the request was not accepted. Officials said they did not have a Spanish translator for the interaction.
Finally, a middle ground was found. The reporter asked the question in Spanish, but Hakimi responded in English, ending the exchange.
The Mexican journalist wanted to ask a question in Spanish but was not allowed to until PSG star Achraf Hakimi stepped in and made it happen.
“I’m really proud to have fans in your country, I love Mexico, I’m happy you love me.” pic.twitter.com/oTda6W9ngp— All Ftbol MX (@AllFutbolMX) June 13, 2026
The episode after the event raised eyebrows among members of the media and fans. Later, Brazilian media interaction witnessed a similar moment.
Vinicius Junior, who spent several years in Spain with Real Madrid and speaks Spanish comfortably, began to answer the question in Spanish in the same language. The organizers intervened again, reportedly asking that English be used instead.
For Vinicius the situation was particularly unpleasant. The Brazilian forward generally preferred speaking Portuguese or Spanish at public appearances rather than English.
Instead of continuing in Spanish, he switched to Portuguese and steered the conversation back to Brazil’s preparations for the tournament.
The match between Brazil and Morocco ended in a 1:1 drawwith Vini jr and Hakimi constantly battling it out throughout the game.
The incidents quickly sparked online debate, with many supporters questioning the restrictions, particularly given the multilingual nature of the tournament’s hosts.
Spanish remains one of the most widely spoken languages in North America, especially in the United States, where millions of people use it as their primary language.
With the media controversy now behind them, Hakimi and Vinicius hope the focus will return to football when Brazil and Morocco meet on the pitch.
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Published on:
14 Jun 2026 17:19 IST