Argentina’s anthem became famous in France as the Olympic football event got off to a controversial start

Argentina’s footballers were greeted with hostility 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 the Group B match with two goals from Soufiane Rahimi either side of half-time – the second from the penalty spot – to put Tarik Sektioui’s men in complete control.

But for Argentina, Manchester City star Julian Alvarez went on the attack, reducing the deficit through Giuliano Simeone midway through the second half and Cristian Medina scoring a late equalizer 16 minutes from time.

It gave Argentina the last laugh on a day when they faced the crowd’s anger at Geoffrey-Guichard as Enzo Fernandez continued to lash out on social media.

The Argentinian national anthem was played on the floor and its players whistled and blew their whistles during the scrimmage.

Less than 10 days since Argentina’s players celebrated winning the Copa America by singing a racist song about the French national team, French & Moroccan fans showed their displeasure during the singing of Argentina’s national anthem. 😳pic.twitter.com/92N2z8bFo

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

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

Fernandez apologized although there may be several consequences for the investigation by Chelsea and FIFA, the latter after a complaint from the French Football Federation.

The 23-year-old will have to rebuild at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana describing the video as “unrepentant racism”, while other French team-mates are reported to have agreed. unhappy.

Support from Argentina

Fernandez received a lot of support from Argentina, however.

Javier Mascherano, the coach of Argentina’s Olympic team, described him as a “big boy” while Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul accused Fofana of “badness” for publicly criticizing his team-mate.

De Paul said: “I think there is a place. And if one of Enzo’s teammates feels upset the way to do it is to call him, not to post it on social media.

“It’s cruel there, even if you want to put Enzo in a place that has nothing to do with him.”

There was a political disagreement when the country’s sports minister Julio Garro was fired by president Javier Millei for suggesting that Lionel Messi should apologize for the team’s actions.

Messi, who is being treated for an ankle injury against Colombia, has not yet commented.