Right before the clash between the Ivory Coast and Colombia, one African player, Serey Die appeared to be very emotional. The player cried uncontrollably for the entire duration of his nation’s anthem.
Serey Die's emotional reaction during his country's national anthem
Immediately, the majority of the medias classified the Ivorian’s reaction as intense patriotism. Soon after, the Daily Mail reported that the reason for the African’s tears was because Die’s father had passed away just a few hours before the game.
Die cries during the Ivory Coast's national anthem
However, David Waldstein contradicted the Daily Mail’s version on Twitter, revealing that the midfielder’s father had passed away in 2004. Unfortunately, also this latest information has yet to be confirmed.
An official with the Cote D'Ivoire team just told me Serey Die's father died in 2004, not two hours before kickoff.
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) June 19, 2014
The player himself eventually cleared up the issue and confessed he was emotional because representing his country is very important. The African revealed:
"I was going to play for my country. But it's true that I thought about my father, who died in 2004."
