Vinicius Junior request turned down during FIFA press conference as apology issued

An official was forced to turn down a request from Vinicius Junior as the Brazil star gave a press conference following his side's 1-1 draw against Morocco.

Vinicius scored Brazil's opening goal of the World Cup on 32 minutes, after Ismael Saibari had given Morocco the lead.

It wasn't a vintage performance from Carlo Ancelotti's side, who are five-time World Cup winners, and they could have had few complaints about the outcome.

There were concerns about Brazil's midfield in particular heading into the game, and that was the area where Morocco found the most joy, particularly in the first half.

But Vinicius scored a superb individual goal, cutting in onto his right foot and smashing the ball beyond goalkeeper Bono.

It wasn't a particular surprise, therefore, that the Real Madrid star was placed on post-match media duties in New York following the 1-1 draw.

Vinicius interview request denied

But there was a brief pause during his post-match press conference, when a journalist began asking him a question in English.

Vinicius requested that the question be asked in Spanish instead - to which a nearby official replied to say that remote Spanish interpretation was not an option for the particular press conference.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry, we don't have Spanish as a remote interpretation," he said.

"Question in English please, or any of the other languages we are using today. Thank you."

Un Periodista español y un jugador que habla español no pueden hablar en español en su rueda de prensa

Jajajajajajaj pic.twitter.com/UtYGoHaCSo

— Kendry. (@Ke3ndry_) June 13, 2026

During an earlier press conference involving Netherlands midfielder Frenkie De Jong, it was explained that remote translation could only be offered in English, Japanese and Dutch languages.

When a journalist asked Barcelona star De Jong a question in Spanish, the official interjected: "Excuse me, it has to be in English, Japanese or Dutch please.

"It's for the translation."

And Morocco's Achraf Hakimi could also not be asked a question in Spanish, with the official explicitly stating that 'no Spanish questions' were allowed.

"Excuse me, excuse me. You can only ask questions in the languages we have set. No, no, we can't do it because of the translation," the official said.

As a compromise, the question was still asked in Spanish, with Hakimi - who was born and raised in Madrid - then answering in English.

SPORTbible has contacted FIFA for comment.

Meanwhile, during Vinicius' post-match interview, he was asked a question in Spanish by a Venezuelan reporter.

This time, the Brazil star declared that, as he was playing for the Brazil national team, he would answer the question in Portuguese instead.