Argentina coach Javier Mascherano has slammed the organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics, claiming their administration of the match towards Morocco was “pathetic”. His feedback got here after Argentina controversially misplaced 2-1 to Morocco of their Paris Olympics opener in Saint-Etienne.
Paris Olympics Opener Between Argentina and Morocco Ends in Chaos
Argentina and Morocco met within the first soccer match of the 2024 Paris Olympics on the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Wednesday, July 24. Morocco dominated proceedings and had been 2-0 up by the 51st minute. La Albiceleste pulled one again within the 68th minute earlier than scoring the equalizer within the sixteenth minute of harm time.
As Argentina gamers had been celebrating, a piece of followers — supposedly angered by Enzo Fernandez’s video during which he and a few of his teammates took digs at French gamers — threw cans, bottles, and pyrotechnics at them. In the meantime, a couple of others, sporting Morocco’s jersey, invaded the pitch. To defuse the state of affairs, the referee suspended the sport and took the gamers down the tunnel with the scoreline at 2-2.
Round two hours after leaving the pitch, each units of gamers returned to the pitch to finish the match in entrance of an empty stadium. Shortly earlier than the restart, a VAR test dominated out Argentina’s purpose for offside. With solely three minutes left to play, Argentina couldn’t discover a response and succumbed to a 2-1 defeat.
Argentina Boss Javier Mascherano Calls Olympic Conflict ‘A Circus’
Fuming with the result, Mascherano stated after the sport (through BBC):
“I’ve not been a coach for lengthy, however by no means in my profession as a participant have I seen a state of affairs like that.
“It’s a circus. However that’s how it’s. We can not management it. I informed the boys that now we have to look ahead, attempt to get the six factors that can permit us to qualify, and that each one this could fill us with power and anger for what we now have forward of us.”
Mascherano revealed the captains of Argentina and Morocco agreed to not play after the sport was suspended. Nonetheless, the organizers restarted the sport anyway, resulting in a bitter ending for La Albiceleste.
He added:
“It’s a shame that this could occur and poison the match. This wouldn’t even occur in a neighborhood match. It’s pathetic.
“Past the Olympic spirit, the group must be as much as normal, and in the mean time, sadly, it isn’t.”
Two-time Olympic gold winners Argentina will return to motion with a conflict towards Iraq on Saturday, July 27.
