Euro2012: Nasri argues with journalist after Spain win

Ukraine: Samir Nasri launched a foul-mouthed tirade against a French AFP journalist when asked what he thought of France’s 2-0 defeat by holders Spain in the European championship quarter final here on Saturday.The player, who during France’s opening group game with England mouthed “shut your mouth” to television cameras in a message aimed at a L’Equipe journalist who had written a critical article of him that upset his sick mother, also suggested the two go outside the mixed zone and settle the matter.Having already passed through the mixed zone without speaking, the 24-year-old Manchester City star returned around 30 minutes later whereupon the AFP journalist politely asked for his impressions of the game. Visibly agitated, Nasri launched into a diatribe against the media.

“No, in any case, you are always looking for [expletive], you write nothing but [expletive] in your papers.” The journalist interrupted him asking him not to make that allusion and reminded him that he had done an interview with him on February 28 and which had been appreciated by the player. However, undeterred Nasri continued his rant whilst walking towards the exit, becoming more and more aggressive and violent in his language.The AFP journalist replied: “All right then get lost if you have nothing to say.” A few seconds later Nasri returned and accosted the journalist. “You told me to get lost, all right come with me and we will settle it outside.” The journalist replied: “Yeah right.”


This provoked Nasri to launch into an even more personal and violent attack, in words too offensive to print. “You can now write that I am badly brought up,” he said before walking away. Aside from the controversy over his reaction to scoring the goal against England and this outburst, Nasri had already been implicated in an internal argument.


France’s final group match, which they lost to Sweden, was reportedly marked by a dressing-room bust-up, with coach Laurent Blanc clashing with Hatem Ben Arfa and Alou Diarra said to have been involved in an angry exchange of words with Nasri. But the French camp waved away any suggestion of ill-feeling or comparisons with an infamous player mutiny against former coach Raymond Domenech in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.