The Moroccan national team coach commented on the statements of the Congolese national team captain, Chancel Mbemba, in which he claimed that Walid Regragui directed racist words at him after the end of the two teams’ match in the 2023 African Cup of Nations, on Sunday.
When the match ended in a positive draw 1-1, Regragui went to Mbemba to shake his hand after he was looking towards the sky and complaining about the “injustice of the refereeing”, but the latter rose and pulled his hand forcefully, waving to the effect that the referee ignored the “mouse”, then he made an obscene move towards the coach.” Atlas Lions,” which ignited the anger of the rest of the players, who entered into verbal and fistfights.
Mbemba said, in press statements, that he was insulted with racist language by the Moroccan coach, adding: “I do not need to talk a lot, because God’s justice is the most important. I am not perfect, but on the field I respect everyone and this respect is mutual.”
He added: “I respect Regraki for being a big man, but the video that appeared on television was cut off. I will remain silent because it is the best option, but God’s justice exists, and this word should not have come out of his mouth.”
Regragui responded to these statements by telling the French newspaper L’Equipe: “Mbemba’s clarifications are dishonest and have nothing to do with what happened.”
He continued: “I did not like Mbemba’s statement, because it hints at a lot of things. If he has pictures other than those we see on television, let him show them with pleasure. He will see exactly what happened.”
He added, “What happened is that he attacked me and my assistant on the touchline, and spoke badly to us. And Desper knows that. After the end of the match, though, I went to shake his hand and said to him: But why are you talking to me in this way?” Then he was… He looks somewhere else, as if to say, ‘I will not shake your hand.’ I grabbed his hand, as shown in the pictures, and he started screaming.”
Regragui also denied Mbemba’s accusations, stressing that he did not make any racist statements against him.
The Moroccan national team leads Group Six with 4 points, two points behind its closest rival, the Zambian national team, while the Congo national team is in third place with two points as well, then Tanzania, which is at the bottom of the standings with one point.
2024-01-22 09:43:03
#Moroccan #national #team #coach #responds #accusations #Congo #national #team #captain #Sports #News #Sky #News #Arabia #Sports
