Embarrassing, but not surprising. Men’s soccer has become a black mark on these 2024 Olympic Games, with a sport that seems to not understand the values of fair competition and respect that this sporting event has projected for over 100 years. That is why the fight between players from France and Argentina after the end of the quarter-final match was expected, given the animosity between both teams in recent years.
It was a match filled with controversy, due to the racist chants by some Argentine players against the French players of African origin after the Copa America won by the Argentine national team a few weeks ago in Miami, and the response with boos from French fans towards the Argentine men's football and rugby seven teams at these Olympic Games.
What happened at the end of the France vs Argentina match?
In a heated match, with several clashes between players, France won with an early goal by Jean-Philippe Mateta, a header, in the 5th minute of the game.
The blue team could have secured the victory near the end of the match, but the goal that had the whole stadium in Bordeaux celebrating was overturned via VAR due to a foul in the French team's area.
12 minutes of extra time were played, and as soon as the referee blew the final whistle, the bench and players ran to confront each other with punches and shoves, causing a new stain on these Olympic Games that have not been short of scandals. Just when it seemed like the incidents had calmed down, players from both teams ran towards the tunnel as the confrontations had reignited.
The Argentinians claimed innocence and blamed midfielder Enzo Millot for provoking them by celebrating the victory in front of the Albiceleste bench.
Several minutes passed until the France team returned to the field to celebrate their qualification with their fans. Now in the semifinals, they will have to face Egypt, who eliminated Paraguay on penalties. In the other bracket, Spain (who defeated Japan) will face Morocco (who ended the hopes of Team USA with a 4-0 victory).
"It wasn't a revenge," said Henry.
In addition to the racist chants by Enzo Fernández and other players, for many French people this match was a revenge for the final they lost in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The French coach, Thierry Henry, played down the importance and said, "We do not see this match as a revenge because the World Cup was with different teams."
Additionally, Henry criticized Millot for the incidents: "I do not agree with what happened at the end of the match. My player (Millot) received a red card and I do not accept it, it should not happen. I could not control what happened. I went to greet the coach and when I turned around, what happened happened. We won, but I did not like what happened at the end with my player."
The beginning of the Olympic Games for Argentina was also marked by a scandal: they tied in extra time against Morocco in their first game, some Moroccan hooligans invaded the field and when the game resumed 90 minutes later, the albiceleste’s goal was disallowed with VAR, in an unprecedented event.