Olympic football got off to a chaotic start as Argentina lost 2-1 to Morocco in a game which saw the Argentinian players targeted with missiles by the French crowd and denied by a late VAR call after play was suspended for an hour.
The final three minutes of the game was played more than three hours after the original kick-off after Argentina’s equaliser in the 16th minute of added time was ruled out by VAR.
A hostile tone was set from the outset when Argentinian players were booed during their national anthem before being heckled throughout by the Paris crowd in a reaction to Enzo Fernandez’s alleged racist chanting after winning the Copa America earlier this month.
A pulsating game on the pitch saw Javier Mascherano’s go 2-0 down through Sofiane Rahimi’s brace before Giovani Simeone halved the deficit.
They then thought they had claimed a late draw thanks to Cristian Medina’s dramatic equaliser in the 16th minute of added time after a passage of play which saw several shots blocked and the woodwork struck.
ARGENTINA SCORE IN THE 90+16TH MINUTE TO EQUALISE 2-2 IN THE OLYMPICS 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/Nvsrf7N7mC
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) July 24, 2024
The goal prompted more angry reactions between from the French crowd, with firecrackers seen being thrown onto the pitch towards Argentina’s staff and players.
The chaos was not done there as, despite the game being widely reported to have concluded, it was revealed that the goal was being checked by VAR and as a result of an offside in the build-up, three more minutes had to be played in an empty stadium.
At 6:07 BST, three hours after the original 3pm kick-off time, play was finally resumed, with Argentina unable to find the equaliser in the final three minutes as Morocco celebrated a winning start.
🚨🚨| The game between Argentina and Morocco started at 3 pm and finally ended at 7:07 pm 😭
This is the first time we’ve ever seen something like this happen in football. Two hours after a goal was scored, VAR cancels Argentina’s goal citing offside.
Morocco have therefore… pic.twitter.com/0xlb8A7DIU
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) July 24, 2024
📰 Table Of Contents
Missiles thrown
An already hostile encounter came to a head after the ‘original’ full-time when supporters spilled onto the field during Argentina’s celebrations.
Argentina players were quickly ordered to make their way down the tunnel but as they did so, a huddle of players were nearly struck by an explosive missile thrown by the crowd.
😨 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐬 tras el Argentina 🆚 Marruecos
🧨 En medio de la celebración de la selección albiceleste, tras lograr el 2-2 en el último suspiro, desde la grada cayó un 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐨 muy cerca de algunos jugadores#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/BUpujNcxr9
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 24, 2024
Fernandez controversy
There had been searing tensions between Argentina and the Olympics hosts in the lead-up to the game after Fernandez had been seen mocking French players in the weeks prior.
Fernandez posted a video shortly after Argentina’s Copa America final win over Colombia on July 14 that questioned the heritage of France’s black and mixed-race players.
Fernandez apologised although there are likely to be several repercussions with both Chelsea and FIFA launching investigations, the latter on the back of a complaint from the French Football Federation.
Fewer than 10 days since Argentina players celebrated winning the Copa America by singing a racist song about the France national team, French & Moroccan supporters show their displeasure during Argentina’s national anthem. 😳pic.twitter.com/92N2z8bAFo
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 24, 2024
The 23-year-old will have some bridges to rebuild in the Stamford Bridge dressing room as well with his Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana describing the video as “uninhibited racism”, while it has also been reported the club’s other French players are equally unhappy.
Support from Argentina
Fernandez has received plenty of support from Argentina, however.
Javier Mascherano, the coach of Argentina’s Olympic team, described him as a “great guy” while his fellow Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul accused Fofana of “malice” by criticising his team-mate publicly.
De Paul said: “I think there’s a place. And if any of Enzo’s team-mates feels offended the way is to call him, not put it on social networks.
“There is a bit of malice there, or wanting to put Enzo in a place that has nothing to do with him.”
There has been political fall-out too with the country’s sports minister Julio Garro sacked by president Javier Millei for suggesting Lionel Messi should apologise for the squad’s actions.
Messi, who is undergoing treatment for an ankle injury sustained against Colombia, has yet to comment.
