The opening football match of the Olympics was marred by a suspension due to crowd trouble, resulting in a nearly two-hour delay before the game was completed in an empty stadium.
Morocco led 2-0 against Argentina, who managed to pull a goal back and were pressing for an equalizer. Cristian Medina appeared to have scored the equalizer in the 16th minute of injury time, which was scheduled for 15 minutes at the end of the second half.
However, following crowd disturbances, play was halted and eventually resumed without fans present. VAR subsequently ruled out Argentina’s equalizer, and Morocco secured a 2-1 victory.
Details of the Disruption:
After Medina’s apparent equalizer, objects including cups and bottles were thrown at the Argentina players. A flare landed near the players and coaching staff, and some Moroccan fans entered the pitch, necessitating their removal by stewards. Riot police were deployed, and the referee removed the players from the field.
Fans in Saint Etienne were instructed to leave the stadium, with a message on the big screen reading: “Your session has been suspended please make your way to the nearest exit.”
The match’s status was unclear until it was announced that the final three minutes would be played in an empty stadium. VAR had disallowed Argentina’s goal due to an offside infraction.
The players returned to warm up at 17:45 BST and resumed play at 18:00. The match concluded with no further goals, finalizing a 2-1 victory for Morocco.
Soufiane Rahimi scored both goals for Morocco, one before half-time and a penalty early in the second half. Argentina’s Giuliano Simeone scored their lone goal.
Argentina, winners of the Olympic football tournaments in 2004 and 2008, is managed by Javier Mascherano, who was part of the 2008 winning team. Mascherano’s team must secure positive results against Iraq on Saturday and Ukraine on Tuesday to advance to the quarter-finals.
The tournament organizers issued a statement saying: “The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended due to a pitch invasion by a small number of spectators. The match then restarted and was able to conclude safely. Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions.”
