Achraf Hakimi, a defender for Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco, grabbed unwanted attention during the current 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which is being held in Cote d’Ivoire.
With less than five minutes remaining in the match, Hakimi grabbed his chance to give Morocco a second chance at scoring, but his shot struck the crossbar. Later on, during the game’s stoppage time, South Africa increased their lead even more, guaranteeing the Bafana Bafana’s place in the quarterfinals.
The 25-year-old apologised to his teammates and Moroccans around the world.
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He said,
“I want to apologise for the penalty, I took responsibility to help the team, but unfortunately it didn’t work. And what can I say about you my brother, Amine Adli. After everything you went through (loss of your mother), you came and gave everything for your country, we are so proud of you! I love you very much, my brother. Dima Maghrib! And good luck to the South African national team for the rest of the competition.”
Morocco were one of the teams that were tipped by most sports pundits and football lovers to go all the way in the competition, especially looking at how impressive they were at the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup.