As the African Cup of Nations (CAN) takes place in Morocco, a video widely shared on X attracted the attention of Internet users. We see Hannibal Mejbri, midfielder of the Tunisian national team, talking about the quality of the football fields. The caption accompanying the video and some comments claim that the player criticizes stadium conditions in Morocco, suggesting dissatisfaction with the organization of the competition.
In the video, which has gone viral on several X accounts, Hannibal Mejbri declares: “ It’s complicated, but we know the situation in the country, that’s why we don’t like to complain. The pitches are complicated, maybe you don’t see, but when you go on the pitch after the match, is it a quality pitch… but it has never been good and we know why. There are all the clubs in Tunisia that play on it, it’s complicated to keep a quality pitch like that. It’s complicated to play on a pitch like that, it’s sad, but we know that this is the situation in the country, we can’t say anything. Afterwards, I’m not looking for any excuses, it’s up to us to do better, but it’s complicated. »
A quick reading of these comments could give the impression that the player is complaining about the CAN grounds in Morocco. However, careful verification shows that this interpretation is wrong.
The original video was filmed on Friday November 14, 2025, well before the start of the CAN in Morocco. It follows a friendly match between Tunisia and Jordanplayed at the Radès stadium in Tunisia, as part of preparations for the Arab Cup. In this interview, Hannibal Mejbri clearly evokes the situation on Tunisian lands, and not those in Morocco. He comments on the difficulty of maintaining lawns in Tunisia, emphasizing that all national clubs use these pitches and that their quality is affected by this intensive use.
Thus, the virality of the video and the misleading captions led to a misinterpretation of the player’s words. Hannibal Mejbri does not criticize Moroccan infrastructure or the CAN, but simply expresses a reality well known to Tunisian footballers: the limited quality of national pitches.
Hannibal Mejbri’s comments relating to the quality of the pitches must be understood in the Tunisian context and not as a criticism of the Moroccan stadiums or the organization of the CAN.
R.A.
