Nicola Hickling, a deaf investigative and forensic lip reader, has shared her analysis of what was said in the viral video of a South African couple arguing at the World Cup.
The exchange began after the woman glanced at the man’s phone, and whatever she saw appeared to leave her visibly upset.
The clip quickly fueled speculation online, with many convinced she had caught him looking at another woman.
Several netizens predicted the couple would “get divorced soon” and faulted the man for refusing to disengage as she attempted to regain her composure.
The lip reader disputed netizens’ theory that the exchange centered on another woman
Image credits: cocoblvd
The video dates back to June 24, when South Africa faced off against South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico.
The FIFA cameraman dedicated ample time to showing viewers the argument between the pair, whose identities remain unknown.
Though the footage was originally shared by viewers on TikTok, it surfaced on other social media platforms, including Instagram, as recently as July 12-13, helping it gain wider traction.
Hickling deciphered the video for the Daily Mail on July 15.
Image credits: cocoblvd
The woman in the dress accidentally hit the little boy next to her with her flag, leading her to apologize, the lip reader said.
While turning her head back toward the field, she glanced at her man’s phone, and he went on to unapologetically give her a better view of what had him engrossed.
“There is nothing to see. The lads took pictures and sent them,” he appears to have said, according to Hickling.
Image credits: cocoblvd
The woman then asks, “Why are you looking?” to which he responds, “I’m not looking at other women.”
The two go back and forth before the man says, “Maybe this is why [I] don’t mention things.”
“That’s enough,” she responds.
Finally, the man is seen saying, “Shut up,” before she replies, “I’m sick of you arguing.”
Social media users criticized the man for spoiling his partner’s mood
Image credits: cocoblvd
“Her whole day was ruined,” one commented, while another asked, “Bro, why not just apologize and move on?”
“Uhh, men,” a third simply stated.
“Notice how he wasn’t having fun until he upset her?” a fourth pointed out in response.
“And the audacity to do that little dancy dance after???” wrote a fifth.
The man was captured on camera breaking out into a groove and enjoying his snack, which he also proceeded to feed to a different woman beside him as his partner looked ahead.
One user mocked the man, joking that he would complain about the divorce coming “out of nowhere” in the future, despite this moment.
Some defended him while taking issue with the cameraman for lingering on the couple’s private moment
Image credits: cocoblvd
“She ruined her own mood. There was no reason to nag,” one said.
“Men always get blamed for nothing,” asserted another.
“Cameraman was there for all the drama,” a separate user said.
“He wanted the whole story,” remarked a fourth.
Image credits: cocoblvd
Many likened him to the cameraman from the July 2025 Coldplay scandal.
During the British pop band’s Foxborough, Massachusetts, concert, the kiss cam operator blasted a couple embracing on the stadium’s big screen. This led them to scramble to hide their faces.
Frontman Chris Martin joked to the crowd, “Oh, what… either they’re having an affair, or they’re very shy.”
Netizens later identified the duo as Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot, the CEO and chief People Officer of the tech company Astronomer.
It turned out they were indeed in a secret relationship, with the context of their marriages being complicated.
Both Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot resigned from their positions amid intense scrutiny over their relationship
Image credits: cocoblvd
In an exclusive interview with The New York Times in December, Cabot said she was privately and amicably separated from her husband at the time, while acknowledging that she knew her boss was married.
However, she claimed Byron told her he was actively planning a divorce.
Cabot described their kiss cam moment as a “bad decision” that she made while under the influence of liquor.
She said she took accountability for her misjudgment by giving up her career.
“That’s the price I chose to pay.”
She additionally revealed that she received more than 60 threats against her life following the incident.
Byron’s resignation was announced by Astronomer on July 19.
The viral moment involving the South African couple continued to spark debate among netizens
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