Phillip Cocu got into a fight with Nourdin Boukhari in the final phase of Sparta – Vitesse on Saturday evening. The latter made a comment that the Vitesse trainer did not like, after which the two visited each other. The fourth man then intervened, after which peace soon returned. Sparta stepped off the field not much later with a 3-1 victory.
While the duel between Sparta and Vitesse had already been played for a long time, it became restless in the final minutes. The team from Arnhem did not return the ball, after which Boukhari came to talk to Cocu. “Meddle nicely with your own team”, the former the Dutch international responded. Boukhari then used words that could not be heard on screen. Cocu shot out of his head from that. “What did you say? Now you have to watch out, don’t you. Shut your big mouth, dude. Fuck off. Mind your own team.”
A heated clash between Phillip Cocu and Nordin Boukhari…??#spavit pic.twitter.com/tHoA6qs8K2
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 11, 2023
Afterwards, Cocu did not want to say what exactly Boukhari shouted. “You can be angry that we didn’t return the ball, they might have a point there too. On the other side it is 3-1 and the game is over,” said Cocu at ESPN. “If certain words are then placed, then that goes too far. I will not let myself be told everything. I do not have to share what he said. But my reaction says enough. A little passion is part of it, but you have to know where the border is.”
Cocu believes that a visit to Sparta could have done more. “I think the game was reasonably balanced. We had control and they did not become dangerous through the flanks, where their strength lies. Just before half-time, there was only too much space between the lines because we were a little too deep. the 2-1 came at a very unpleasant moment, just before half-time. Other than that, I don’t think there was much going on. After the break, we tried to stay in the game as long as possible. After Wittek’s red card, it was over. “