Hervé Renard, the Saudi national team coach, launched a scathing attack on Brahim Diaz, deeming his poor execution of the decisive penalty in the Morocco-Senegal match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final a “great lack of respect” for the Moroccan people’s hopes of winning the title.
Unexpectedly, Diaz decided to take the penalty in the final moments of regular time instead of Achraf Hakimi, but he attempted a Panenka-style shot, which was saved by Édouard Mendy. The Real Madrid star immediately began to cry, and Morocco went on to lose 1-0 in extra time, extending their 50-year Africa Cup of Nations drought.
While many players and coaches offered their condolences to Diaz, who in turn issued a heartfelt apology to the Moroccan people and his teammates, Renard, who previously coached the Moroccan national team from 2016 to 2019, refused to sympathize even with the 25-year-old.
“Missing a penalty is understandable,” Renard told the media, “but in such cases, I am firm and I don’t tolerate it.”
He added, “This is an insult to an entire country and an entire people who have strived for success for 50 years.”
He concluded, “Humility beside the point, I experienced a similar situation in the Arab Cup against Morocco. One of my players, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, missed a Panenka penalty disastrously. I then asked him to accompany me to the press conference and apologize.”
It should be noted that some Moroccan press reports indicated that the national team players rejected Diaz’s apology in the locker room, and the displeasure was evident for coach Walid Regragui, who tried to avoid answering the many questions about how the kick was executed.
