Ugly scenes marred the match between Argentina and Morocco in the opening match of the men’s Olympic football tournament, with riot police having to protect the players after fans stormed the pitch.
The match was eagerly anticipated after Argentine players chanted a racist chant against French players earlier this month following their Copa America victory.
Argentina’s national anthem was booed before the match, with the South Americans trailing 2-0 to a strongly supported Moroccan team in Saint-Etienne.
Thanks to a goal from Giuliano Simeone and a stoppage-time goal from Cristian Medina, Argentina came back to level the score.
After Medina’s last-minute goal, Moroccan fans stormed the pitch and threw flares at the Argentine players, causing the match to be postponed.
Riot police were pictured after Moroccan fans stormed the pitch following Argentina’s final goal
Substitutes had found their way onto the field of play after Argentina’s final goal
The pitch invasion led to a delay in the match, with the referee eventually blowing the whistle for the end of the game.
Objects were thrown from the stands after Argentina scored a late equaliser in Saint-Etienne
Cups were thrown at Argentina players as their team celebrated Cristian Medina’s goal
The final whistle had not yet been blown and after Argentina’s equaliser the score was 2-2.
According to Spanish daily Marca, the Argentine players cowered after ‘sound bombs’ were thrown at them in the closing stages.
The referee removed the players from the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium for their own safety after the crowd reacted to Argentina’s equaliser.
A notice has been posted in the stadium saying ‘Your session has been interrupted. Please leave the stadium.
The match was officially declared ‘ended’ with the score at 2-2, although Argentina’s goal under the supervision of the VAR when the decision was made to stop the match.
Argentina’s national anthem was booed before the match amid a racist storm surrounding Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
A message was displayed asking fans to go to the nearest exit
Giuliano Simeone was seen on his phone after the group stage match was suspended
The South American nation opened their campaign against Morocco with the players lining up for the customary national anthems before kick-off.
As the Argentine national anthem was played in the Saint Etienne stadium hall, it was met with loud cheers from the crowd.
And just over an hour after kick-off of the football match, the Argentine rugby sevens team were loudly booed ahead of their match against Kenya.
The boos that drowned out the national anthem came more than a week after Chelsea footballer Fernandez filmed himself and his Argentina teammates singing a chant aimed at black French players following their Copa América victory.
The song, which also mentions Kylian Mbappé, was condemned by the French Football Federation, which filed a complaint with FIFA.
Argentina saw its national anthem booed amid a racism storm surrounding Enzo Fernandez
Fernandez filmed himself singing the slogans on the Argentine bus during their Copa America celebrations
Argentina’s rugby sevens stars were also booed as they sang their national anthem in Paris
Fernandez’s Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana also reposted the video, calling the rant “blatant racism” before unfollowing Fernandez on Instagram.
Two other Chelsea players – Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi – have also unfollowed Fernandez.
The midfielder subsequently apologised for the video and insisted he was not racist. Chelsea responded by condemning ‘all forms of discriminatory behaviour’ before launching their own investigation.
But the fans at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium and the Stade de France clearly had not forgotten the events of the past few days and made it clear how they felt about the behaviour of the Argentine footballers last week.
Former France captain Hugo Lloris this week called the controversial song an “attack on the French people” and insisted it was a mistake from which lessons should be learned.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in a moment of euphoria because you’ve won an important trophy,” he said BBC Sport‘When you win, it brings even more responsibility.
‘You don’t want to hear or see these kinds of things in football. We are all against discrimination and racism.
“I just think and hope it’s a mistake. We all make mistakes and hopefully they learn from it.”
Relations between France and Argentina deteriorated after the thrilling and exciting 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, which saw Lionel Messi and co. narrowly win on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in the highlight, was mercilessly mocked during Argentina’s exuberant celebrations.
Despite playing a key role in Argentina’s World Cup and Copa America victories, Fernandez is not playing in the Olympics and is currently enjoying a period away from the pitch as he prepares for the new season at Chelsea.
Last weekend he was put on display at his old club River Plate, but the entire crowd once again started singing the chant aimed at the black French players.
The storm surrounding Fernandez continues to die down, but Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has insisted he is ready to welcome Fernandez back into his squad next week when he returns from holiday.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris described the controversial song as an ‘attack on the French people’
Enzo Fernandez was paraded by his boyhood club River Plate on Sunday
Footage shared on social media showed the entire stadium chanting the slogan aimed at France’s black players
Speaking in the US, where Chelsea are currently on a pre-season tour, Maresca said: “The player has made a statement, apologized and the club has done the same. I don’t think there is anything more to add, the situation is already clear.”
Asked if there will be any problems in bringing him back into the squad, Maresca added: ‘I don’t think so, honestly. At the end of the day, they are all human beings, I don’t think there is any bad intentions from any of them.
‘If Enzo is back I don’t think we will have any problems, the player has already clarified the situation and the club has done the same. There is nothing to add.
“He’s not a bad person. That can happen, I don’t think there are any problems. I’ve spoken to Enzo, I’ve spoken to a lot of them. The player has made a statement and apologized, that’s clear.”
Reece James also raised the subject with the Chelsea captain saying: ‘Enzo accepted he was wrong and apologised to the club and the team. I have spoken to Enzo and everyone involved but those conversations need to be internal.’
The tournament did not start off optimally for Argentina. They were 1-0 down before half-time, after Bilal El Khannouss had finished off a great team effort by Morocco.