Argentina coach slams chaotic ‘scandal’

PARIS, France:

The head of Argentina's soccer federation said the chaotic ending to its Olympic soccer match against Morocco on Wednesday "makes no sense" and coach Javier Mascherano called the scene "a scandal".

The opening match of the men's soccer tournament was suspended for nearly two hours during added time after Morocco fans invaded the field and threw bottles in protest of a late goal by Argentina. The goal was later overturned by the video assistant referee, and Argentina lost 2-1.

"What happened on the field was a scandal. This isn't a neighbourhood tournament, these are the Olympic Games," Mascherano said.

Paris organisers said they were trying to "understand the causes and identify appropriate actions" after the match in Saint-Etienne. Argentina's soccer federation said it issued a formal protest on Wednesday to world governing body FIFA and would do "what is necessary" to guarantee the safety of players.

"Having to wait almost two hours in the dressing room, after Morocco fans entering the pitch, the violence that the Argentina delegation suffered, our players having to warm up again and continue to play a match that should have been suspended by the main referee, is really something that makes no sense and that goes against the competition rules," Argentina Football Association president Claudio Tapia said.

The Argentina team also said its training base was robbed before the game, with a watch belonging to midfielder Thiago Almada among the items taken.

Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei arrived yesterday in Paris, his office said, and is expected to meet French President Emmanuel Macron after tensions escalated between their countries over the Argentine soccer team's derogatory post-match chants about French players at Copa America.

Morocco fans rushed the field to protest Cristian Medina's goal in the 16th minute of added time at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, which appeared to tie the game at two-all. Bottles also were thrown from the crowd and, in frenzied scenes, security tackled fans on the field.

"Some of the fans thought it was the end of the match and decided to invade the pitch," Thomas Collomb, the deputy director of security for Paris organisers, said yesterday. "The atmosphere was festive. At no time was there any security risk for players or spectators. Within minutes of the final whistle, a security bubble formed around the athletes."

In the confusion, it was believed the final whistle had been blown when players headed to the locker room and fans were told to leave the stadium. FIFA's official website declared the final score 2-2.

But it later emerged that the game had been suspended with just minutes of play remaining and that Medina's goal was being reviewed.

The players re-emerged to warm up in an empty stadium after about two hours and referee Glenn Nyberg confirmed he was reviewing video of the goal on the touchline monitor. He then confirmed it would be overturned for offside.

Morocco held on for the win as the teams played out the final three minutes. - AP