Messi Asked to Apologize for Argentina Players' Racist Chant
TimeJUL 2 2024
Argentina-Morocco Olympic Men's Soccer Opener Descends Into Chaos
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 Images
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.
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.