BTN News: The Argentine football team had a rough start at Paris 2024 on Wednesday. They played against Morocco in Saint-Étienne, but the game was full of problems and drama. Argentina, led by coach Javier Mascherano, was losing 2-0. They made a great comeback and tied the game in the 16th minute of added time. But the game was stopped because of aggressive behavior from Moroccan fans. Cristian Medina’s goal was canceled an hour and a half later. This incident was a mix of tragedy and comedy and was a big issue for the organizers, the International Olympic Committee, and FIFA.
Players Stayed Up Late Talking and Trying to Relax the Next Morning
The Argentine players were very upset and had trouble sleeping that night. They talked for hours about what had happened. By the next morning, after breakfast, they started to calm down and look ahead. They knew they needed to move on quickly because they had to play Iraq in Lyon on Saturday. Iraq had won their first game in Group B, so there was more pressure on Argentina to do well.
AFA’s Complaint and Support from the Argentine Olympic Committee
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) decided to file a formal complaint with FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. They knew their request to get the match points might not work, but they wanted to show how unhappy they were with what happened. The Argentine Olympic Committee (COA) also supported the AFA and showed their support for the players by backing the complaint.
Comments from Important People in Argentine Football
AFA President Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and Javier Méndez Cartier, the head of the Olympic team, were in Saint-Étienne to support the team. Tapia expressed his disappointment on social media, calling the situation a “circus.” Coach Mascherano said he had never seen anything like it in his career. Goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli explained why the players had to go back on the field almost two hours after the game was stopped. Moroccan fans were throwing bottles and even a firecracker from the stands.
Growing Tensions and Bigger Problems for Argentina
There is a feeling of “anti-Argentinian” sentiment in France, possibly because of Argentina’s win in the Qatar 2022 final. This tension has been growing and was made worse by racist chants aimed at Enzo Fernández after Argentina won the Copa América. These issues even caused diplomatic problems. The chaos in the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium raised many questions. Mascherano revealed that player Thiago Almada had been robbed the day before the match. He lost valuable items worth around 50,000 euros. This added to the team’s frustration.
FIFA’s Response and Argentina’s Focus on the Iraq Match
FIFA is expected to release a statement soon, saying they will investigate what happened and eventually give a verdict. Meanwhile, the Argentine team has arrived in Lyon. They trained at the Raymond Troussier stadium, focusing on their next match against Iraq. The team’s main goal is to move to the quarterfinals of Paris 2024. They have another important game against Ukraine on Tuesday.
Wrapping Up the Controversy and Focusing on Football
The drama around Argentina’s game against Morocco has overshadowed the Olympic values of excellence, respect, and friendship. As the team looks forward to their next games, they hope to leave this incident behind. They need to focus on their performance. Whether the AFA’s complaint will change anything is still unknown. For now, the team is concentrating on doing well in the rest of their group stage matches.
