FIFA is facing accusations of preventing World Cup stars from speaking Spanish during interviews at this summer's tournament in North America. The competition kicked off last week, drawing the world's top footballers to the continent. According to FIFA's protocol, one player from each team must join their manager for a press conference before every match. However, reports suggest that FIFA is requesting players and coaches avoid speaking Spanish during these sessions. Additionally, a shortage of translators may be contributing to restrictions on the languages allowed for questions.
Incidents Involving High-Profile Players
The controversy follows several incidents involving prominent players. Achraf Hakimi, a fluent Spanish speaker, was asked a question in Spanish by a Mexican reporter before Morocco's match against Brazil. A FIFA representative intervened, asking him to stop speaking Spanish. Hakimi responded jokingly, 'How do I answer, in English or in Spanish?' A similar situation occurred with Vinicius Junior, who asked a reporter to repeat a question in Spanish. The journalist replied, 'I don't think I can.'
FIFA's Denial and Explanation
FIFA has denied any ban on Spanish, instead pointing to its communication protocol for press conferences. The guidelines state that questions should be asked primarily in the native languages of the two competing teams. For Brazil vs. Morocco, that would be Portuguese and Arabic, respectively. While English is likely permitted as a global lingua franca, Spanish—spoken by over 600 million people worldwide—is not officially accommodated, despite many players competing in Spanish-speaking countries.
World Cup Action So Far
On the pitch, the tournament has seen a busy start with half of the opening group matches completed. Germany, the USA, and Sweden have been the highest scorers, while Switzerland and Turkey have suffered major upsets. England begins its campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, followed by matches against Ghana and Panama. Scotland, after a nervy 1-0 win over Haiti—their first World Cup victory since 1998—faces Morocco on Friday night.
