Morocco vs Argentina 2024 Paris Olympic games opener dominated by controversy

By Asuquo

Posted on July 24, 2024

Crowd trouble forced the first football match of the 2024 Paris Olympics between Morocco and Argentina to be delayed by more than an hour.

Morocco had been leading 2-0 against Argentina, but Cristian Medina seemed to have equalized with a header in the 16th minute of the 15 scheduled minutes of injury time at the end of the second half.

After Medina’s goal, a number of cups and bottles were thrown at the celebrating Argentina side, and what appeared to be a flare landed near the players and coaching staff. Several fans wearing Morocco colors also ran onto the pitch.

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The referee immediately took the players off the field, and a message on the big screen in the stadium read: “Your session has been suspended, please make your way to the nearest exit.”

It was then reported that the final three minutes of the match would be played in an empty stadium with no fans present.

However, before the match could be resumed, it was announced that Argentina’s potential equalizer was ruled out by a video assistant referee decision that showed a player was offside before Medina scored.

The match ended 2-1 in favor of Morocco.