Renard Slams Diaz Over Penalty Miss: 'A Lack of Respect for a Nation'

Former Morocco national team coach, Hervé Renard, commented on the Atlas Lions' defeat to Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final, directing strong criticism at player Brahim Diaz for his missed "Panenka" penalty.

In statements made to the French newspaper "Le Parisien," Renard spoke about that crucial moment, saying: "Any player has the right to miss a penalty, but in such circumstances, I am firm and do not sugarcoat anything. What happened is a lack of respect for an entire country and a whole people who have been waiting for a title for 50 years."

The French coach, who won the Africa Cup of Nations title twice with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015, added that he had experienced a similar situation just a few weeks prior during the Arab Cup.

Renard continued: "While the context was different, I experienced a similar situation in the Arab Cup against Morocco. One of my players, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, poorly missed a Panenka penalty. I then asked him to accompany me to the press conference and issue a public apology."

Brahim Diaz had missed the penalty in the final seconds of regular time, which allowed the Senegalese national team to score the only goal of the match through Pape Gueye in the 94th minute of the first period of extra time, thus securing the final for Senegal.