Argentine FA President: The Match Circumstances Are Regrettable; We Have Filed a Complaint with FIFA

On July 24th, local time, the first round of men’s football matches at the Paris Olympics saw a chaotic scene. In the match against Morocco, Argentina equalized the score to 2-2 in the 106th minute. However, fan disturbances followed, leading to a suspension of the game. Two hours later, the referee brought both teams back onto the pitch to review whether Medina’s goal for Argentina was offside. It was ruled as such. The match continued for three minutes in an empty stadium as Argentina attempted to equalize but failed.

Following the match, Argentine coach Mascherano, star Messi, and Argentine media expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing. Argentine Football Association President Claudio Tapia also released a statement via social media expressing his discontent with the match process and outcome.

Tapia believes that the match process and result are regrettable, and Argentina has already filed a complaint.

In a post on social media, Tapia wrote: “The events that took place in Saint-Etienne today are regrettable for us Argentinians. Our players waited nearly two hours in the locker room because Moroccan fans invaded the pitch, and the Argentine delegation was subjected to violent attacks. Our players had to return to the pitch to warm up and continue a match that should have been ended by the main referee. This is unreasonable and violates the rules of the game.”

The Spanish newspaper AS stated that Argentina went from joy to disappointment, losing their first match, while Morocco became the other side of this farce. The first round of matches at the Paris Olympics became part of negative history.