Posted on Jun 24
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.
The matter had become more personal when the journalist in question - who expected a friendly response from Nasri after an interview with him in February which he believed was appreciated by the player - told the forward to "get lost" as he walked towards the exit.
The journalist had become exasperated by the Manchester City star's refusal to make any comment about the match and instead had been subjected to an attack with Nasri saying all he wanted was to to write 's***' about him and his team-mates.
The journalist interrupted him asking him not to make that allusion and reminded him about the one on one interview with him on February 28,
However, undeterred Nasri, who turns 25 on Tuesday, continued his rant whilst walking towards the exit, becoming more and more aggressive and violent in his language.
The AFP journalist in order to put a stop to the tirade replied: "Alright 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, alright 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.
"Go f*** yourself, go f*** your mother, you son of a bitch. You want us to have it out, go f*** yourself. There, like that you can now write that I am badly brought up," he said before leaving the mixed zone.
France coach Laurent Blanc refused to condemn Nasri's comments and told French television station TF1 on Sunday that the nub of the problem was Nasri's relationship with the press.
"There is above all a problem between Samir Nasri and the media. It is regrettable but the real problem is with the press.
"The reality is in the words expressed there. They are very violent statements. There is a lack of respect there with a journalist. But the journalist doesn't show a lot of respect at one point either.
"I did talk to Nasri about his comportment with the press but evidently the message didn't get through.
"It is not very good for Nasri's image and neither is it for the team's."
Aside from the controversy over his reaction to scoring the goal against England and this outburst, Nasri had already been implicated in an internal bust-up.
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.
Samir Nasri, seen here in February 2012, 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
Samir Nasri, seen here in February 2012, 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