Argentina anthem booed in France as Olympic football event gets off to controversial start

Argentina’s footballers were given a hostile reception by the French crowd in St Etienne this afternoon as they opened their Olympic campaign with a 2-2 draw against Morocco.

The South American side trailed 2-0 after 49 minutes in their Group B clash with two goals from Soufiane Rahimi either side of half-time – the second from the penalty spot – putting Tarik Sektioui’s men in complete control.

But Argentina, for whom Manchester City star Julian Alvarez started in attack, reduced the arrears through Giuliano Simeone midway through the second half and Cristian Medina netted a last-gasp equaliser in the 16th minute of added on time.

It gave Argentina the last laugh on a day when they faced the ire of the crowd at Geoffrey-Guichard as the fall-out from the Enzo Fernandez social media post continued.

The Argentinian national anthem was roundly booed and their players whistled and heckled throughout a pulsating game.

Fewer than 10 days since Argentina players celebrated winning the Copa America by singing a racist song about the France national team, French & Moroccan supporters show their displeasure during Argentina’s national anthem. 😳pic.twitter.com/92N2z8bAFo

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 24, 2024

Fernandez posted a video shortly after Argentina’s Copa America final win over Colombia on July 14 that questioned the heritage of France’s black and mixed-race players.

Fernandez apologised although there are likely to be several repercussions with both Chelsea and FIFA launching investigations, the latter on the back of a complaint from the French Football Federation.

The 23-year-old will have some bridges to rebuild in the Stamford Bridge dressing room as well with his Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana describing the video as “uninhibited racism”, while it has also been reported the club’s other French players are equally unhappy.

Support from Argentina

Fernandez has received plenty of support from Argentina, however.

Javier Mascherano, the coach of Argentina’s Olympic team, described him as a “great guy” while his fellow Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul accused Fofana of “malice” by criticising his team-mate publicly.

De Paul said: “I think there’s a place. And if any of Enzo’s team-mates feels offended the way is to call him, not put it on social networks.

“There is a bit of malice there, or wanting to put Enzo in a place that has nothing to do with him.”

There has been political fall-out too with the country’s sports minister Julio Garro sacked by president Javier Millei for suggesting Lionel Messi should apologise for the squad’s actions.

Messi, who is undergoing treatment for an ankle injury sustained against Colombia, has yet to comment.