FIFA have backtracked on their decision to stop Spanish questions at press conferences not involving a Spanish team.
The World Cup’s governing body didn’t provide translators for matches in the USA unless a Spanish-speaking side was playing.
The decision was soon highlighted by a number of high-profile incidents.
Madrid-born Achraf Hakimi and Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong were both asked questions in Spanish, but reporters were interrupted by FIFA staff and told they could only speak in English or the language of the teams playing.
The high-profile and awkward nature of the incidents blew up online, and then one of the World Cup’s most prominent pundits, Thierry Henry, made the story even bigger.
“They wanted a celebration of diversity,” he said. “Instead, they’ve handed the internet a controversy that will continue to be debated.”
FIFA to allow Spanish questions
In response, Marca report that FIFA plan to provide a Spanish translator at all US-based press conferences going forward.
The FIFA app will also include a Spanish translation function.
The outlet states: “As one of the three host countries, out of respect and deference to Mexico, FIFA will now allow Spanish to be spoken at all press conferences.
“Previously, this was only permitted if one of the teams involved spoke in Spanish.
“For example, at the Brazil-Morocco press conference, Portuguese, Arabic, French, and Italian (due to Ancelotti) were allowed.
“Although it may not be an immediate measure and could take a couple of matches to implement, it seems FIFA has already reversed course.
“The goal is for Spanish to be present at all pre-match press conferences. This is because Mexico is the host country and Spanish is spoken there.
“Furthermore, after all the controversy generated, it was the most viable option.”
Henry’s criticism
Henry may well have made the difference by highlighting the issue during a Fox Sports appearance.
The Arsenal and France legend said: “I’ve covered World Cups for years, and this situation makes absolutely no sense to me.
“Are you telling me that a World Cup co-hosted by Mexico can prevent journalists from asking questions in Spanish? That’s like organizing a Formula 1 race and prohibiting the cars from using their engines.
“We saw it with Hakimi. We saw it with Vinícius. Now we’re hearing similar stories involving Frenkie de Jong.
“The players understood the questions. The journalists were speaking one of the most widely spoken languages on the planet. Yet somehow, language became the problem.
“How can FIFA celebrate diversity in every promotional video and then create headlines because Spanish journalists are being told to change their language at a tournament organised by Mexico?”
He continued: “It’s not some obscure dialect spoken by a handful of people. It’s the language of hundreds of millions in the Americas and beyond.
“If a journalist from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, or anywhere else asks a question in Spanish and the player understands it, why is football creating barriers where none existed before?
“They keep telling us that football belongs to everyone, but this controversy has many fans wondering if some voices are more welcome than others.
“What fans are seeing is simple: a World Cup partly hosted by a Spanish-speaking nation, players who understand Spanish, journalists who speak Spanish, and officials telling them not to use it.
“If that’s progress, someone needs to explain it better. Because from the outside, it looks like football’s governing body is tripping over its own message.
“They wanted a celebration of diversity. Instead, they’ve handed the internet a controversy that will continue to be debated.”
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