PARIS 2024 kicked off with an astonishing VAR debacle as Argentina lost their trouble-strewn Olympic football opener with Morocco more than two HOURS after they scarpered off celebrating a DRAW.
The South American side, barracked constantly before and during the match in what appeared to be a reaction to the Enzo Fernandez Copa America racist singalong, appeared to have scrambled a draw in the 16TH minute of stoppage time.
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Cristian Medina nodded in from close range after an amazing series of rebounds which saw efforts from Nicolas Otamendi and Bruno Amione hit the bar.
That seemed to have completed a dramatic comeback from two goals down for former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano’s side and sparked mass disorder from the Moroccan fans in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Angry supporters of the North African team, already fuming over the extended injury time and decisions that had gone against them in the game threw bottles and firecrackers onto the pitch.
While others jumped over the barriers to enter the playing surface, terrifying the Argentine players.
Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg ordered both sets of players to the dressing room.
It was believed that the game was over, even though three minutes were still to be played.
Both teams initially refused to go back onto the pitch and were backed by Fifa despite Nyberg having been told by the Paris-based VAR booth that Amione had been fractionally offside.
But 90 minutes after the “final whistle”, Mascherano and his players were informed that the equaliser was being checked.
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If the goal was confirmed, it would be the end of the match but the additional three minutes WOULD be played if Amione was offside.
By this stage, with both sets of players still in their kits in the dressing room and waiting for the green light to get back on the pitch.
That decision came almost two hours after what seemed to have been the final whistle, with the two teams coming out to an empty stadium.
Referee Nyberg then formally went through the VAR process to announce the goal had been disallowed, with the Morrocans celebrating.
The remaining three minutes were then played out, with Argentina failing to level the match.
This meant Soufiani Rahimi’s second half penalty – his second of the game – was the winner, leaving Mascherano incredulous and furious.
He stormed: “They never told us that the play was being reviewed.”
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Argentine legend Lionel Messi posted a one word response on social media, cryptically writing “unusual” alongside an puzzled emoji.
Mascherano then claimed that the dressing room had been raided by thieves during Tuesday’s final training session.
He added: “Yesterday they broke into training and Thiago Almada’s watches and rings were stolen.
“It’s a scandal. We are in an Olympic Game, not a neighbourhood tournament. This can’t happen.”
The amazing scenes overshadowed events in the capital where a crowd of 70,000 in the Stade de France saw rugby superstar Antoine Dupont’s Games debut end in a 12-12 draw with the USA in France’s opening sevens encounter.
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