STATS Perform/dpa
Berlin
Achraf Hakimi has apologized to Gianni Infantino following his confrontation with the FIFA president.
The Morocco defender reportedly questioned Infantino on the level of officiating at the World Cup following the Atlas Lions’ defeat by Croatia in the third-place play-off.
Walid Regragui’s side were denied a potential penalty against the 2018 runners-up when Youssef En-Nesyri’s header hit Bruno Petkovic, while Ibrahima Konate’s challenge on Sofiane Boufal also went unpunished in the semi-final loss to France.
But Hakimi, who also confronted referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim, has since expressed remorse over the incident, with the Paris Saint-Germain full-back acknowledging his frustration had boiled over.
“Nothing happened,” he told reporters. “I was angry after the end of the match. I talked to him, and I apologized for the words I said to him. He is my friend and I respect him a lot, so nothing happened.” Morocco became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals, having topped Group F ahead of Belgium of Croatia, before overcoming Spain and Portugal in the last 16 and quarter-finals respectively.
