Journalists have been left shocked at the World Cup after a Brazilian press officer threw a cat off the table where they were sitting during a press conference.
Brazilian star Vinicius Jr. was answering the obligatory pre-game questions before their quarter-final match against Croatia when a cat unexpectedly jumped onto the table.
The 22-year-old soccer star appeared amused at the furry interruption, as the cat plodded across the table before settling down next to the unnamed press officer, reports the Daily Mail.
The Brazilian press officer gave the cat a quick scratch on the head but then decided that the feline had had enough of the spotlight so he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and back, and threw it from the table.
The move was met with gasps from the journalists who were present at the press conference, but the official seemed unmoved by their shocked response, as he shrugged his shoulders and asked reporters for the next question.
Viewers of the footage on Twitter condemned the way the cat had been thrown off the table, tweeting: "That is not how you pick up a cat with kindness. For shame!", and "Awkward! The cat will be OK, but he was obviously not a cat lover! Bad optic!"
Others added: "bro just threw that cat off wtf" and "Ridiculous way to pick it up - you pick them up with a hand on each side, just behind their front legs. Not hard".
The media discussed the events amongst themselves and the Real Madrid forward laughed the incident off, before the press conference continued as if nothing had happened.
The Brazilian star discussed how Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is like a "father" to him and how he has given him a lot of confidence both on and off the pitch.
The 22-year-old is due to start against Croatia on Friday and will be hoping to add to his already impressive tally of one goal and two assists during this tournament.
This isn't the first time an animal has intruded on a soccer-related event. Earlier this year a dog invaded the pitch during a game between Chile and Venezuela Women, per The Sun.
The game came to a grinding halt as the excited four-legged canine ran to the players looking for them to join in on the fun. It demanded belly scratches from one of the goalkeepers before running up to the referee to demand more attention.
The dog - a black labrador - evaded capture for quite some time, but in the end, its love for belly rubs was its downfall. As it rolled over by a Chilean player, the soccer player used this as an opportunity to pick the dog up before safely giving it to a steward so the game could resume.
Let's hope the Brazilian press officer takes notes from the Chilean player!
