Paris Olympics: Argentina vs Morocco men's football tie turns into 'biggest circus', spark angry reactions from Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano

Paris Olympics: Argentina vs Morocco men's football tie turns into 'biggest circus' (Reuters)

The Olympic men’s football event got off to a chaotic start in St-Etienne on Wednesday as Morocco secured a shocking 2-1 win against two-time gold medalist Argentina. The result certainly was an unexpected one, but what was even more shocking was the course of events during the game.

The match was suspended for almost two hours after angry Moroccan fans rushed to the pitch and threw bottles from the stands to protest a late goal by Argentina in the 16th minute of added time.

The bizarre turn of events created a lot of confusion, for both the players and officials, as it was not clear if the game was concluded or paused. The crowd was then asked to leave the stadium, following which players returned to the pitch to play the remaining three minutes of added time in front of empty stands.

Moments before the play resumed, there was a VAR check for Cristian Medina's late strike, which was disallowed and deemed offside. Morocco then held on to their one-goal advantage till the referee blew the final whistle.

Argentina's soccer federation said it had issued a formal claim to world governing body FIFA to “take the necessary regulatory measures for such a serious event.”

“Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions,” a spokesperson for Paris organizers said.

The angry reaction by Moroccan fans came after they assumed Medina’s goal had denied them a crucial win against the world champions. The agitated fans then started throwing objects before invading the pitch, forcing security on the premises to intervene the situation.

There were images of some Argentina players flinching when what appeared to be a flare was thrown onto the field. Bottles and cups were strewn over the pitch by the time the game was paused.

It initially occurred that the match was over, even FIFA’s website declared the game to be over. Almost after an hour after the incident, organisers informed that the match was not officially over and there will also be a VAR check to see if the goal would stand.

Players resumed the proceedings after a long delay, a very rare sight in modern day football.

Morocco had led the game 2-0 before Argentina’s fight back. Giuliano Simeone scored in the 68th minute before Medina's effort sparked chaotic scenes.

Argentina coach Javier Mascherano said he had never witnessed such a circus.

Mascherano said there had been a lack of communication from organisers about what was going to happen as the team sat in the Geoffroy Guichard stadium dressing room before the resumption.

"I can't explain what happened. We spent about an hour and a half in the dressing room where they never told us what was going to happen," Mascherano told reporters.

"The Moroccan captains didn't want to play, we didn't want to continue, and fans threw things at us. It's the biggest circus I've ever seen in my life, I don't know why they spent an hour and 20 minutes reviewing a play.

"If there is offside in Medina's goal let the game go on with the momentum we have, I don't think the game should be played for three minutes after an hour and a half."

Meanwhile, Argentina’s talismanic footballer Lionel Messi also had an angry reaction to the turn of events. The senior team skipper took to Instagram and posted a story saying ‘Insolito’ as a reaction to the controversy.

Insolito is a Spanish word which translates in English to ‘unusual’ or ‘uncommon’.