Renard Fires Back at Diaz After AFCON Final: A National Pin Slip Shows in the Spotlight

Renard's scathing critique after the AFCON final

The French coach Hervé Renard, the former Morocco boss now involved with Saudi football, launched a sharp critique of Moroccan forward Brahim Diaz for missing the decisive penalty in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal.

In an interview with Le Parisien, Renard delivered blistering comments, saying: 'Every player has the right to miss a penalty, but in these circumstances I am firm and I accept no leniency; this is disrespect to a country and to a people who have waited fifty years for a title.'

His remarks arrived in a final already heated by controversial refereeing and a chaotic script that fueled the controversy.

The French mentor, who guided Morocco from 2016 to 2019 and who has AFCON titles with Zambia (2012) and Ivory Coast (2015), added that he understands the difficult position Walid Regragui is currently navigating.

Renard then invoked a recent personal experience to back his stance: 'In the Arab Cup, one of my players, Abdullah Al-Hamad, missed a Panenka; I told him afterward to accompany me to the press conference and offer an apology.'

His pointed remarks rekindle the debate over the level of individual responsibility players bear in the most decisive moments of national-team history.

Punchline 1: Penalty drama is football’s cliffhanger—lots of suspense, fewer commercial breaks, and still no guarantee the hero will land the kiss of victory.

Punchline 2: If Diaz wanted a longer run-up, maybe he should have asked the ball for consent first.