Argentina-Morocco Olympic Men's Soccer Opener Descends Into Chaos

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JUL 25 2024

Above: Armed Police are seen on the sidelines during the Men's group B match between Argentina and Morocco during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on July 24, 2024 in Saint-Etienne, France. Image copyright: Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images/Stringer/Getty Images Sport via Getty Imagesstory last updated JUL 26 2024

The Facts

The first day of men's soccer at the Paris Games was mired in chaos as the Argentina-Morocco game at Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Ettiene had to be suspended for over an hour and completed behind closed doors.
Morocco fans stormed the field and threw objects at Argentina players, including what appeared to be a flare, on Wednesday after Cristian Medina scored a late-minute equalizer for the South Americans that was eventually ruled out by a video assistant referee (VAR).
After the chaotic opener, Argentina's coach Javier Mascherano revealed that items belonging to players were robbed from the team's training base. Authorities in Saint-Ettiene confirmed on Thursday that a police complaint was filed in Lyon.

The Spin

Narrative A

This incident has turned an opening Olympic game into a pathetic circus in which Argentine players were forced to run back to their locker room as organizers failed to ensure their safety to play soccer. On top of that, the decision to resume the game goes against FIFA regulations as neither side wanted to continue playing.

Buenos Aires Herald

Narrative B

It's certainly regrettable that organizational disaster has tarnished this opening Olympic game, but what is more concerning is the fact that Argentine fans have used that as a justification to carry out racist and xenophobic online attacks yet again — now against Moroccan players. There must be no room for such behavior in soccer.

The New Arab