Argentina - Morocco match considered "historic Olympic scandal"

At 4:06 p.m. on July 24, Paris time, midfielder Cristian Medina headed the ball close to the goal to equalize 2-2 for Argentina against Morocco in the 16th minute of injury time in the second half. Three minutes later, before Morocco had even kicked off again, referee Glenn Nyberg blew the final whistle when Moroccan fans stormed the field, some of them throwing flares at the Argentine players. The TV stations also stopped broadcasting the match, switching to the next match between Egypt and the Dominican Republic.

At 5:38 p.m., an hour and a half after the final whistle, when the players had entered the locker room, the organizers announced that Medina's goal was canceled, meaning that Argentina was still trailing 1-2. They told the players to warm up and prepare to continue playing for the final minutes.

The two teams returned to the field at 6pm, when the spectators had all left. At 6:07pm, referee Nyberg blew the final whistle for the second time, marking a 2-1 victory for Morocco in the first round of Group B.

"Historical Olympic scandal", Spanish newspaperMarcaheadline. "Flames explode, spectators storm the pitch midway through the match, the match is interrupted, the goal is disallowed after two hours, and Argentina lose."

Before the first final whistle, referee Nyberg said that there were still a few minutes left in the match, and the organizers wanted the two teams to continue playing, but Argentina refused to continue for security reasons. Several of their players were nearly hit by flares, and Moroccan spectators who had invaded the field posed a danger. The big screen at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium also announced that all spectators were asked to leave the stadium.

Former US goalkeeper Tim Howard while commenting onUSA Network, was also surprised when the two teams returned to the field after nearly two hours. "I have been involved in top-level football for 25 years, but I have never seen anything like this," he said. "The scene at that time was unbelievable."

MarcaCalling this a case "unprecedented in history," the British newspaperGuardianthen compared the match to "a mess", while the German newspaperNewscommented "The 2024 Olympics have gotten off to an absolutely crazy start".

The President of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Mr. Claudio Tapia, announced on social media that he would request FIFA to investigate the incident and clarify the responsibilities of those involved. The AFA also announced that they had filed a complaint with the FIFA disciplinary committee, because they believe that this is "complete nonsense, contrary to the spirit of the Congress".

Superstar Lionel Messi, while watching the match, also posted on social media: "Unbelievable", with an emoji of wide-eyed. Coach Javier Mascherano considered this a circus act he had never seen in his life. Center-back Nicolas Otamendi revealed that neither team wanted to continue playing, and they had to wait in the locker room for more than an hour and a half without receiving any notice.

Argentina also lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup, but still won the championship. This time, Mascherano and his team hope to repeat the achievement, but will have to achieve good results when facing Iraq on July 27 and Ukraine on July 30.

The case of VAR intervening after the final whistle happened in the Premier League, when Man Utd met host Brighton on September 26, 2020. A few minutes after the end of the match, VAR informed the referee that Man Utd should have been awarded a penalty in the final phase of the match. The referee reviewed the situation and agreed, calling the player back onto the field so that Man Utd could take the penalty, score and win 3-2. After that, the referee blew the final whistle for the last time.

The FIFA IFAB's rules also detail a similar situation, as follows: "There is no time limit on VAR reviews, as accuracy is more important than speed. The review process must be carried out as efficiently as possible to ensure the accuracy of the final decision. The referee can override the previous decision, if necessary, and restart the match in accordance with the regulations."