FIFA Faces Criticism After Hakimi and Vinicius Were Advised Not to Speak Spanish at the World Cup

By Enitan Abdultawab

FIFA has faced criticism after high‑profile players, including Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior, were told not to speak Spanish during media sessions at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

The dispute began before Morocco’s Group C match with Brazil when a Spanish‑speaking journalist asked Hakimi a question in Spanish. Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicated he was comfortable answering in Spanish, but event officials insisted that questions be asked in English. After a brief exchange, the reporter asked the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The situation escalated during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while answering a question in Spanish. The organizer asked him to switch languages. Vinicius chose to reply in Portuguese before returning to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

These incidents sparked debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions in North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament largely hosted in the United States.

Further reporting revealed FIFA’s language policy. According to El País, Spanish‑language translation services are only provided at press conferences involving Spanish‑speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay. For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted in English or the team’s official language.

The policy has drawn criticism online, with supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup. The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy cast a shadow over the highly anticipated Brazil‑Morocco encounter, which ended in a 1‑1 draw. With the issue now attracting international attention, FIFA may face increasing pressure to review its media language guidelines as the tournament continues.

The post FIFA under fire after Hakimi, Vinicius told not to speak Spanish at World Cup appeared first on Vanguard News.