The men's soccer tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics has kicked off yesterday, with the Argentine national team going down 1-2 to the Moroccan national team in their opening match. The match, played at the Stade Geoffroy Kichar in Saint-Etienne, was full of ups and downs and drama.
The match reached its climax in the 116th minute when the Argentine national team scored an equalizing goal. However, the goal triggered a strong reaction from the Moroccan fans in the stadium. The fans stormed the stadium and threw debris and firecrackers, causing a two-hour interruption in the match. After play resumed, VAR intervened and ruled that Argentina's goal was disallowed for offside. The match ended three minutes after the resumption, with the Argentine national team losing 1-2 in their debut match.
According to CBS's analysis, fan animosity toward Argentina stems from two main sources:
Support from Moroccan immigrants and descendants
: France has a large number of Moroccan immigrants and descendants, so the majority of the crowd at the Stade Geoffroy Kichar in Saint-Etienne was in favor of the Moroccan national Olympic team. This made for a lopsided atmosphere of support at the match, and anything in favor of the Argentine team tended to trigger the crowd's displeasure.
Impact of recent events
: After the Argentine team won the Copa America, some of the players sang racist songs in a live video directed at France and French players. The incident sparked widespread controversy and criticism on social media and increased hostility towards the Argentine team.
