France’s Olympics men’s quarter-final against Argentina as been described as personal to every French citizen by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The pair face off in Bordeaux this evening with lots of ill-feeling still lingering after Argentina’s racist chanting about French players of African descent following their Copa America win last month.
Argentina’s football and rugby stars have been jeered and booed during their games at Paris 2024 so far, with the Friday evening clash likely to be another hostile environment.
And Mateta says the game has become a national talking point and that the players were also affected by the comments.
The Crystal Palace striker said: “Argentina are the last world champions, a team that always ends up in the final of the tournaments they play.
“With what happened recently, all the French are touched by it. We’ll see what happens in the quarter-finals.”
The French Football Federation filed a complaint last month with FIFA over “racist and discriminatory remarks’ made by the Argentina players.
Midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who filmed the chanting on social media, has had his own Chelsea team-mates speak out – with French defender Wesley Fofana describing it as “unhibited racism”.
Fernandez has since apologised and made a donation to an anti-discrimination charity, with Fofana accepting his team-mates statement of regret.
But French supporters have been less forgiving so far and Argentina’s players are prepared to face moor jeers on Friday evening.
Argentina’s goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli said: “We already know where we come from and how they will treat us in France, but have no doubt that we will do everything possible to carry our flag at the highest level again.”
