If that was a South African, he would be gone — Benni McCarthy blasts " biased" refereeing after Hakimi's tackle on Vinny Jnr

Brazil's forward Vinicius Junior reacts after being tackled late by Morocco's Achraf Hakimi in the 2026 World Cup Group C football match between Brazil and Morocco at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 13, 2026.

Benni McCarthy was left dumbfounded after Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi’s wild challenge on Brazilian Vinícius Júnior went unpunished in the Fifa World Cup Group C opener in New Jersey on Saturday evening.

Morocco and Brazil played to a 1-1 draw, with the Real Madrid superstar netting the equalizer after Ismael Saibari’s opener for the AFCON champions.

But according to Bafana legend McCarthy, the Paris Saint-Germain star wingback should have been given his marching orders for a tackle on Vinícius Júnior.

The Brazilian had pushed the ball past Hakimi, but the Moroccan skipper followed through with his challenge and sent Vinícius Júnior tumbling to the ground.