Gianni Infantino has received an apology from Achraf Hakimi for the altercation he had with him after Morocco’s semi-final defeat to France.
After the Atlas Lions were defeated by Croatia in the third-place play-off, the Moroccan defender allegedly questioned Infantino about the standard of refereeing at the World Cup.
Youssef En-Nesyri’s header struck Bruno Petkovic, denying Walid Regragui’s team a potential penalty against the runners-up from last year. Ibrahima Konate’s challenge on Sofiane Boufal in the semi-final loss to France also went unpunished.
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However, Achraf Hakimi, who also approached referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim, has now expressed regret for the incident, admitting his annoyance had reached a boiling point.
“Nothing happened,” he told reporters. “I was angry after the end of the match. I went to talk to him, and I apologised for the words I said to him. He is my friend and I respect him a lot, so nothing happened.”
Morocco, who won Group F ahead of Belgium and Croatia, advanced to the World Cup semifinals as the first country from Africa. Morocco then defeated Spain and Portugal in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, respectively.
