It was a Monaco vs Marseille match and in the 57th minute, Axel Disasi did every possible thing to not get into a one-on-one with Amine Harit. The French centre-back came in contact with Morocco’s Harit and his pained face indicated something terrible. Dimitri Payet’s image on the sideline grabbing his hands to his head suggested something worse.
World Cup dream ends for Harit
Marseille’s medical reports broke the expected fear declaring Harit will miss the upcoming Qatar World Cup. The previous Schalke player has got a sprained cruciate ligament in his left knee, unfortunately.
His father said,
“Psychologically he is in a very difficult and critical moment as he will miss his second world cup in a row.”
Axel Disasi feels no guilt
Irrespective of how much he touched the ball, Axel Disasi’s reaction was firm in the heat of the moment.
“I don’t feel any guilt. This is not dancing. It’s football and it’s a contact sport.”
Axel Disasi is summoned by Deschamps
While Axel Disasi misses the upcoming World Cup, Disasi becomes French’s 26th player after Presnel Kimpembe’s last-minute withdrawal. Ahead of the controversy regarding Disasi about the contact with Harit, Didier Deschamps has strong claims in support of his decision. The French coach said,
“I wish Harit a quick recovery, but it was a part of the game. In football, injuries sometimes happen in training. What’s more, sometimes players injure themselves. I know Axel is sorry but he shouldn’t blame himself.”
Racist abuse against Disasi
Hours after his France call-up were not easy for him as he faced racist insults. The club’s official statement read,
“Monaco expresses its full support for Axel, the victim of a cascade of violent, threatening, and racist messages.”
Taking to his Instagram account, Axel Disais shared his thoughts.
It’s never easy to express yourself in these moments. As soon as I saw Amine I understood his injury was serious. I have tried to put myself in his shoes, but I can’t feel one-hundredth of what he is going through and that saddens me.
Those who have seen the match will clearly understand that I’m just trying to look for the ball. What came afterward on social media, the insults to my family, the racism, and the disclosure of my phone number are things that are unacceptable and incomprehensible in 2022.
Frustration can make people say things they later regret, myself first, after what I said in the post-match interview, but it’s still sport and there are limits. All the best to Harit.”
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