France vs Argentina: Hosts Expect Hostile Atmosphere in Quarterfinal Clash
Argentina are bracing themselves for a fiery reception when they face France in the Olympic quarterfinals at Bordeaux on Friday. The bad blood between the two teams stems from a viral video of Argentine players singing a racial slur about French players of African heritage after their Copa America win last month.
The same chant was reportedly sung by some Argentine fans during their 2022 World Cup final victory over France, adding fuel to the fire. This could lead to a hostile atmosphere at the stadium, with the French public expected to respond in kind.
"It will be a special match because of what happened in the World Cup final and all the circumstances of these last few months," said Argentine goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. "And we are Argentina, winners of the World Cup and Copa America, so everyone wants to beat us."
The French public has already given Argentina’s rugby sevens team a torrid time, with the 69,000-strong crowd at the Stade de France giving them a raucous welcome. Argentina’s players can expect no different on Friday, with Gerónimo Rulli saying, "We can expect a climate of hostility. Nothing that doesn’t happen in other situations, but maybe it’s more explicit against us."
France’s Olympic coach, Thierry Henry, has warned against letting the controversy overshadow the match, saying, "I won’t talk about that. There’s a desire to only talk about the match. It is important." His team has been impressive so far, conceding no goals in Group A and reaching the quarterfinals with ease.
Argentina, on the other hand, have had a rocky Olympics, with their opening game against Morocco ending in chaos after a pitch invasion and objects launched onto the field. The team’s Olympic training base was also targeted by thieves, but coach Javier Mascherano has urged his players to focus on the match.
"My message to the players is that we are going to play against the host team and the fans are going to be in their favor," he said. "It also happened in our games with Morocco and Iraq. We have to focus on what we can control and what we can control is playing football. Can’t waist energy on other things."
In other words, Argentina will have to overcome the hostile atmosphere and stay focused if they want to cause an upset.
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