Javier Mascherano Blasts Chaos in Olympic Match

Javier Mascherano, Argentina’s coach strongly criticized the chaotic conclusion to his team’s 2-1 loss to Morocco in the men’s Olympic football tournament, calling it a “disgrace” and a “circus.” Significant crowd trouble disrupted the match at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne leading to a nearly two-hour suspension. With Morocco leading 2-1, Argentina appeared to equalize 16 minutes into second-half injury time. This triggered a pitch invasion and bottle-throwing by supporters in Moroccan colors. The referee halted the match at 16:05 BST, and resumed play only at 18:00 after clearing the stadium of fans. Just before the restart, the VAR disallowed Argentina’s equalizer for offside.

Morocco maintained their lead through the additional three minutes of play. Mascherano, who won gold with Argentina in 2004 and 2008, expressed his disbelief, stating, “I have not been a coach for long, but never in my career as a player have I seen a situation like that. It is a circus. But that is how it is. We cannot control it. I told the boys that now we need to look forward, try to get the six points that will allow us to qualify and that all this should fill us with energy and anger for what we have ahead of us.”

The IOC’s official website initially indicated the match had ended, creating uncertainty. Javier Mascherano revealed that team captains initially “decided not to play on” and that the organizer contacted FIFA before deciding to restart the match. He condemned the incident, saying, “It is a disgrace that this should happen and poison the tournament. This wouldn’t even happen in a neighbourhood tournament. It’s pathetic.”

The tournament organizers acknowledged the pitch invasion. They assured that they are working with relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and take appropriate actions. Argentina will face Iraq in Lyon for their second match while Morocco will play Ukraine in Saint-Etienne.