First Olympic Drama: Score Cancelled in Argentina vs Morocco Football Match After Angry Fans Invade Pitch
The football and rugby sevens matches got underway on Wednesday at the Summer Olympics in Paris, two days before the much-anticipated opening ceremony. Angry Moroccan fans ran onto the pitch and threw bottles from the stands to protest a late goal scored by Argentina in the opening match of the men's football tournament at the Paris Olympics. The angry and bizarre scene led to the suspension of the game.
After Argentina levelled the score at 2-2 in the 16th minute of added time, Christian Medina's goal in the 16th minute of added time saw objects thrown and Moroccan fans attacked by security guards.
Images were also published of some of the Argentine players flinching when something that looked like a torch or firecracker was thrown. Bottles and glasses were scattered at the end of the pitch. Morocco's fans reacted so strongly when they believed that Medina's goal had deprived their team of a critical victory over one of the most powerful centres of international football.
About an hour after the incident, organisers on the ground announced that the match was not officially over. The players were left at the stadium for a possible resumption of play. Video boards informed fans that the match was suspended and they were forced to leave the stadium.
A few minutes before the game resumed, a controversial goal by Christian Medina was cancelled by VAR due to offside, and Morocco won.
Initially, it was believed that the whistle had been blown. Even the FIFA website declared the game over.
About an hour after the incident, the organisers confirmed that the match was not officially over and that VAR would check whether a goal would be scored.
Eventually, the players re-entered the pitch after a long delay and began warming up before the game could be completed. After the warm-up, players from both teams stood on the pitch in an empty stadium while the official watched the video. He provided a brief explanation to Argentina while the players on the Moroccan bench celebrated.
The game lasted about three minutes after the resumption before the final whistle blew.
Argentina's football federation said it had filed a formal complaint with world governing body FIFA, asking it to ‘take the necessary regulatory measures for such a serious event’.
‘Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and determine the appropriate action,’ a spokesman for the Paris organisers said.