Controversy has come over an incident that occurred in the 57th minute of the Monaco vs. Marseille match.
This concerns Axel Disasi, a last-minute replacement for Presnel Kimpembe said he did everything he could to avoid a one-on-one with Amine Harit during the Ligue 1 clash.
After the French center-back made contact with the Moroccan player, Harit’s pained face suggested the worst. The image of Dimitri Payet on the sideline holding his hands to his head says it all; he will miss a second world cup in a row due to injury.
According to Marseille’s medical report, the former Schalke player has a sprained cruciate ligament in his left knee and will, therefore, miss the World Cup.
Speaking over the incident, Harit’s father said the Morrocan player is psychologically in a very difficult and critical moment as he will miss his second World Cup.
Meanwhile, Disasi, in the heat of the moment, insisted he feels no guilt since football is a contact sport.
“I don’t feel any guilt. This is not dancing. It’s football, and it’s a contact sport,” he said during the post-match interview.
Defending his decision for the invite, France coach Didier Deschamps, who is aware of the controversy in France about this call, wishes Harit a quick recovery.
While noting that such an occurrence was part of the game,” the France coach pointed out that injuries sometimes happen in training as players injure themselves.
“I know Axel is sorry, but he shouldn’t blame himself,” he added.
The situation has led to racist insults on the defender on social media, and his phone number was also posted.
Defending the player, his club, Monaco, in a statement, expressed their full support for the defender, describing him as a victim of a cascade of violent, threatening, and racist messages.
Sharing his thought on the situation via his Instagram page, Disasi noted that it was never easy to express himself during those moments.
Knowing that the injury was serious as soon as it happened, Disasi said he has tried to put himself in his shoes but can’t feel one-hundredth of what he is going through, which saddens him.
“Those who have seen the match will clearly understand that I am just trying to look for the ball.
“What came afterward on social media, the insults to my family, the racism, the disclosure of my phone number, these are things that are unacceptable and incomprehensible in 2022.
“Frustration can make people say things they regret, myself first, after what I said in the post-match interview, but it’s still a sport, and there are limits. All the best to Harit.”
Written by Oladipupo Mojeed
