"I FAILED YOU": REAL MADRID'S BRAHIM DIAZ ISSUES HEARTBREAKING APOLOGY TO ALL MOROCCO
Brahim Diaz issues a public apology after his failed Panenka penalty cost Morocco the AFCON title. Read his emotional message.
Morocco’s Brahim Diaz has said sorry for his missed Panenka penalty that ended up costing his team the Africa Cup of Nations title on Sunday. He admitted his “soul hurts” and took the blame for Morocco’s 1-0 loss to Senegal in Rabat.
Late in the game—98th minute—Morocco got a penalty after Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf dragged Diaz to the ground. Things got heated fast, both in the stands and on the pitch.
Just five minutes earlier, the referee had ruled out a Senegal goal. Then, after a VAR review, Morocco got the penalty. Some Senegal players stormed off in protest, egged on by their coach, Pape Bouna Thiaw.
It took more than 14 minutes to get everyone back under control. Finally, play resumed. Diaz stepped up for the penalty and tried a soft, chipped Panenka, but Senegal’s keeper, Edouard Mendy, just stood his ground and caught it without any trouble.
That moment pretty much sealed Morocco’s fate. The match went into extra time, and Senegal snatched the win with a brilliant goal from Pape Gueye.
“Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility and apologise with all my heart,” Diaz wrote on X.
“It’s going to be tough to move on because this kind of pain doesn’t go away quickly, but I’ll try. Not for me, but for everyone who believed in me and suffered with me.
“I’ll keep pushing until I can give something back, until I can make my Moroccan people proud.”
Diaz, 26, plays for Real Madrid. He was born in Malaga and even played once for Spain before switching to Morocco in 2024.
He actually finished as the top scorer in this tournament, scoring in each of Morocco’s first five matches.
But Morocco’s 50-year wait for another continental title drags on—at least until 2027.
And if you’re wondering, the Panenka is named after Czech footballer Antonín Panenka. It’s a cheeky penalty where the player chips the ball down the middle, gambling that the keeper will dive out of the way. This time, Diaz lost that gamble.
THE NAPOLI TRAP: MAPPING THE €70M PENALTY CLAUSE BLOCKING OSIMHEN’S ITALIAN RETURN
Victor Osimhen transfer update: Discover why a return to Italy is "impossible" and how Chelsea could fund his massive salary.
Victor Osimhen only joined Galatasaray last summer, but the transfer rumours just won’t let up. Chelsea have chased him for ages, and now people keep linking him with another big move.
Galatasaray didn’t just make noise last year; they shook Turkish football. They went all out in the transfer market, spending like never before and forcing bitter rivals Fenerbahçe to open their own wallets wide.
They smashed their old transfer record (which was €18 million) by paying €75 million for Osimhen alone. Then they brought in Wilfried Singo for €31 million and Ugurcan Cakir for €27.5 million. Ismaila Jakobs and Przemyslaw Frankowski joined as well, costing another €8 million and €7 million. The whole spree? €148.5 million. And that’s not even counting the huge wages for these guys and for free agents like Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan. Meanwhile, Galatasaray only brought in €18 million from player sales.
So yeah, people are starting to wonder if this is sustainable. Telegrafi ran the numbers and tried to calm everyone down, suggesting the spending isn’t as reckless as it looks.
Is Galatasaray going to have to sell Osimhen? The club pulled in roughly €275 million in revenue last season and might hit €350 million this year. That’s solid for any club, even compared to Europe’s biggest.
Their Champions League run, knocking out Juventus and reaching the round of 16, already earned them about €40 million, and that’s not including TV money and other perks from the tournament.
Add it all up, and Galatasaray’s assets are worth a net €143 million. They’re also fully compliant with UEFA’s Squad Cost Ratio rule, mostly because they’re spreading out the cost of those big transfer fees.
Still, Turkish football has a rough history with money. Plenty of clubs have crashed and burned, so fans are nervous about Galatasaray spending so much so fast.
And with Osimhen, people are doubting he’ll stick around. His wages alone, €15 million a season, are a heavy load for any Turkish club. Rumour has it he’s even missed a couple of pay cheques. Honestly, that’s not unheard of. Alvaro Morata called Galatasaray out for not paying up last summer. But with Osimhen, it’s just speculation for now.
Despite all that, the chatter about Osimhen leaving is only getting louder. He’s been talking up Juventus recently, a club that tried to sign him last summer. Napoli blocked that move; they didn’t want to sell to a Serie A rival.
To stop any quick return to Italy, Napoli added a penalty clause when they sold Osimhen to Gala. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, if Galatasaray sells him back to Serie A in 2026, they owe Napoli another €70 million. In 2027, it drops to €50 million.
That clause only runs for two years, but with Serie A clubs struggling for cash, paying €100 million-plus for Osimhen (once you add his wages and the penalty) just isn’t realistic. Juventus or anyone else in Italy? Out of the question, at least for now.
So, if Galatasaray has to sell Osimhen, whether for money or other reasons, the Premier League seems like the most likely landing spot. He’s already turned down moves to Saudi Arabia. The guy wants to stay in Europe.
PSG looked at him, but their new salary cap rules make a deal tough. Same story with Chelsea in the past; they just didn’t want to cover his pay cheque. Still, Chelsea keeps coming up in the rumours, and some fans want the club to rethink their transfer plans and bring in proven winners to help guide Liam Rosenior’s young squad.
Osimhen would cost a fortune, no question. But he’s exactly the kind of player Chelsea needs.
THREE GAMES LEFT? WHY ANTOINE GRIEZMANN’S ATLéTICO CAREER COULD END ON MARCH 7TH
Griezmann to Orlando City: Discover the verbal agreement allowing a free transfer and the latest on the Tottenham UCL draw.
Diego Simeone admits he really doesn't know if Antoine Griezmann will stick around at Atlético Madrid until the end of the season, as the French forward’s talks with Orlando City heat up.
Earlier this week, ESPN reported that Griezmann is deep in negotiations with the MLS club, even though his contract with Atlético runs until 2027. Sources say both sides want to get the deal done now, and things are moving fast.
Griezmann isn’t just another player for Atlético; he’s their all-time top scorer and still one of their most important guys on the pitch. He’s already played 22 La Liga games this season, and the team’s got some serious matches coming up, including a Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Barcelona on Tuesday.
Simeone, speaking earlier in the week, said Griezmann has earned the right to choose what comes next after everything he’s given the club.
“I already said it the other day,” Simeone told reporters on Friday before Atlético’s game at Oviedo. “I’m not going to keep repeating myself. We honestly don’t know what’s going to happen. Everyone knows how much Antoine means to us.”
Friday’s Champions League draw threw Atlético up against Tottenham, with the first leg in Madrid on March 10 or 11 and the return in London a week later.
After the draw, Atlético’s director of football, Mateu Alemany, tried to shut down the rumours. “Antoine has this season and two more years on his contract. He’s totally focused on what’s ahead. He’s playing great. Right now, we’re counting on him for tomorrow, for Tuesday, and for the Champions League. Everything else is just talk.”
But sources tell ESPN that Griezmann might actually leave sooner, with a possible farewell at home against his old club, Real Sociedad, on March 7.
If that happens, Griezmann would have just three more games in red and white: Oviedo on Saturday, Barcelona on Tuesday, and then Real Sociedad.
“We’re talking with Antoine,” Simeone said. “He knows what he means to us. There’s no need to pressure him. We just have to focus on what’s in front of us: Oviedo, Barcelona, Real Sociedad, and Tottenham. Big games.”
MLS’s transfer window closes on March 26 and then opens again in July.
Right now, all sides are working out the final details of the transfer, according to ESPN’s sources.
Simeone would have liked Griezmann to finish out the LaLiga season, then leave in the summer, but there’s a verbal agreement in place. Atlético promised Griezmann he could go for free whenever he decided it was time.