In the Olympic men's soccer group stage match held on July 24th, Argentina's Olympic team lost to Morocco's Olympic team 1-2, however, the result of the match was not the only focus of the day. After the match, Argentina's head coach Mascherano, in a press conference, expressed his extreme dissatisfaction with the environment and security measures throughout the match in heated words, describing the match as "the biggest farce I've ever seen in my life".
Mascherano pointed out that the Argentine team suffered a robbery at their training base the day before the match, in which the players' personal belongings were stolen, which undoubtedly put additional psychological pressure on the team. However, the challenges of the match did not end there. In the course of the match, Moroccan fans broke into the stadium seven times and threw firecrackers onto the field, seriously disrupting the game and posing a threat to the safety of the players.
"We don't expect favors, but we don't expect to be fooled like we were today." Mascherano said angrily. He emphasized that it is extremely unacceptable that an event as high-level as the Olympics should have so many security issues. He also revealed that the match was interrupted as many as seven times, something he had never experienced in his playing career. During the long wait and uncertainty, the players' mood and condition were greatly affected.
Mascherano was particularly critical of the tournament's organizers and security department for their lack of decisiveness and efficiency in dealing with emergencies. He mentioned that the team waited in the locker room for more than an hour and no one came to inform them what would happen next. This delay and uncertainty left the players frustrated and helpless.
In addition, Mascherano stated that the captain of the Moroccan team had also expressed his unwillingness to continue the match. In his view, under such a chaotic and disturbing playing environment, the results of the match had lost their proper significance and value. He called on the relevant parties to conduct an in-depth investigation into the incident and to take effective measures to improve the organization and management of future tournaments.
