Argentina’s Olympic Woes Mount as Training Camp Robbed Before Chaotic Opener Against Morocco
The Argentina men’s football team has had a torrid time at the Olympics, with their woes compounded by a pre-match heist at their training base before Wednesday’s chaotic opener against Morocco. The Maradona-touting fanbase will be seething at the news, and rightly so.
According to reports, thieves struck when the team was out on the training pitches, making off with midfielder Thiago Almada’s watch among other valuables. Head coach Javier Mascherano blasted the thieves, saying, "We didn’t want to say anything after training, I don’t think it helps anything. But obviously, it’s a bit disagreeable that these kinds of things happen." Not a great start to the tournament, put it that way.
Things took a turn for the worse when Argentina took to the field in Saint-Étienne. The clash with Morocco quickly descended into chaos when Moroccan fans invaded the pitch in protest of an equalizing goal by Cristian Medina that was eventually ruled offside. The goal led to a pitch invasion, with Morocco fans throwing bottles and the match had to be suspended for nearly two hours before the fans were finally ushered out of the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. By the time the match resumed, Argentina’s momentum was all but gone, and Morocco held on for the points.
The Argentine media is labeling the incidents "ridiculous" and "a scandal", with Mascherano calling the pitch invasion "a circus". The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has issued a formal protest to FIFA, vowing to take "necessary measures to ensure player safety". Federation president Claudio Tapia was equally scathing, saying, "Having to wait almost two hours in the dressing room, after Morocco fans entered the pitch, the violence that the Argentina delegation suffered, our players having to warm up again and continue to play a match that should have been suspended by the main referee, is really something that makes no sense and that goes against the competition rules."
It’s not the best start to the tournament for the Argentinians, who won Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008. Given their troubled past in tournaments, you can understand why their fans are feeling the frustration and anger. As one fan Tweeted, "Unbelievable, this is a nightmare. Argentina and the Olympics have a serious problem on their hands".
Needless to say, Argentina’s issues don’t end there. Following the match, a poll in Argentine newspaper Olé revealed that over 70% of fans thought the AFA should take responsibility for what happened. A big questions marks hangs over the federation and its handling of the situation.
There’s no doubt that the Olympics need to take a good hard look at their security measures, particularly for high-profile matches. If the tournament organizers can’t protect the players and fans, it’s a slap in the face.
In the meantime, our thoughts are with the Argentine team as they attempt to regroup and get back on track. Will they be able to shrug off these troubles and find form? Only time will tell. As always, keep an eye out for our updates throughout the tournament for all the latest news, highlights, and analysis.
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