'Hope Brazil loses': Fans fume over press officer manhandling cat before World Cup 2022 clash against Croatia

First it was Kurt Zouma, now it is Brazil's press officer. In what has sparked massive outrage among football fans, Brazil's press officer manhandled a cat that disturbed Vinicius Junior's news conference ahead of their Qatar World Cup 2022 quarter-final clash against Croatia.

A cat leapt onto the table as the Real Madrid forward responded to questions from the media ahead of their Friday's clash at Doha's Education City Stadium. While the 22-year-old was doing his news conference, the cat walked over to an unknown official sitting across from him at the table.

The reporters present gasped in shock as the team official appeared to scratch the cat's head before grabbing it and throwing it off the table. 

Despite the gasps, the official shrugged and swiftly asked for the next question from the media. Vincius Jr. laughed it off as the media chimed in and the rest of the press conference continued.

Also read: Brazil's show of support for 'King' Pele after seeing off South Korea to enter World Cup 2022 QFs wins hearts

After the cat incident, Vincius Jr. was questioned about the effects Real manager Carlo Ancelotti and Brazil manager Tite had on him as a player.

"I talked with Ancelotti and he gave me a lot of advice to help me become a starter with Brazil,' he admitted. "He gave me a lot of confidence. He was always tough with me when he needed to be. He is like a father to me. He is good not only with the technical aspects of the game, but also with how he deals with his players," Vinicius Jr. added.

"I have been improving a lot and Ancelotti has helped me with that. He and Tite are very similar and they talk to each other a lot," the Real Madrid star stated.

As Brazil attempt to advance to the semi-finals of the significant tournament in Qatar, they are slated to face Croatia on Friday and feature the emerging star. After playing only minimally in the nation's three group-stage games, Vincius Jr. scored in their 4-1 victory over South Korea in the round of 16.

PETA takes note of Brazil press officer manhandling cat; fans left fuming

The animal rights organisation, PETA, took cognisance of Brazil press officer's treatment of the cat that interrupted Vinicius Junior's news conference. "What's this guy's problem? Next time he encounters a cat, he should smile & laugh like Brazil star @vinijr instead of being so rude & rough. We hope someone is looking after this sweet cat who is probably homeless—just like so many others," the organisation noted.

Meanwhile, football fans were outraged by the Brazil press officer's action and some stated Karma would come biting the South American giants back, with some hoping they lose against Croatia.

"How on earth did a cat make its way into a Brazil press conference? And did he really need to throw it like that?!" noted on user on Twitter, while another added, "Cat thrown at a press conference with Brazil's Vini Jr‼️ Somebody come get Kurt Zouma's cousin and call @Life_Alert!"

"As someone who currently has their own cat sitting on them, I now hope Brazil lose just because of this bloke," said another irked fan, while a fourth commented, "I don't like it either but this means Brazil has been cursed I don't make the rules, the cat does."

Also read: 'Well done RSPCA': Twitter explodes after West Ham's Zouma charged for abusing cat in video

Some users also asked if the Brazil press officer is related to West Ham defender Kurt Zouma, who was embroiled in a massive controversy after a video of him ill treating his cat went viral earlier this year. "Lucky Kurt Zouma wasn’t there," said one irked fan, while another added, "Didn't know Kurt Zouma was Brazilian."

Here's a look at some of the reactions on the micro-blogging site: