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An unexpected talking point emerged ahead of Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco, but it had little to do with tactics or team news. The Group C showdown between the South American giants and Africa’s top-ranked side was overshadowed by confusion during the pre-match media sessions, where both Vinicius Junior and Achraf Hakimi were reportedly discouraged from speaking Spanish while addressing journalists.
The first incident involved Hakimi during Morocco’s press conference. A reporter posed a question in Spanish to the Moroccan captain, who grew up in Madrid and is fluent in the language. Despite that, event officials reportedly stepped in and informed the journalist that questions needed to be asked in English.
Hakimi tried to explain that language would not be an issue, stressing that he was comfortable communicating in Spanish. However, the request was not accepted. The officials claimed that they didn’t have a Spanish translator for the interaction.
Eventually, a middle ground was found. The journalist delivered the question in Spanish, but Hakimi answered in English, bringing the exchange to an end.
The episode raised eyebrows among members of the media and fans following the event. Later, Brazil’s media interaction witnessed a similar moment.
Vinicius Junior, who spent several years in Spain with Real Madrid and speaks Spanish comfortably, began responding to a Spanish-language question in the same language. Organisers once again intervened and reportedly requested that English be used instead.
For Vinicius, the situation was particularly uncomfortable. The Brazilian forward has generally preferred speaking Portuguese or Spanish in public appearances rather than English.
Instead of continuing in Spanish, he switched to Portuguese and steered the conversation back towards Brazil’s preparations for the tournament.
The match between Brazil and Morocco ended in a 1-1 draw, with Vini jr and Hakimi constantly battling it out throughout the game.
The incidents quickly generated debate online, with many supporters questioning the restriction, especially considering the multilingual nature of the tournament hosts.
Spanish remains one of the most commonly spoken languages across North America, particularly in the United States, where millions use it as their primary language.
With the media controversy now behind them, Hakimi and Vinicius will hope the spotlight returns to the football when Brazil and Morocco meet on the pitch.
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