A quarter-final match between France and Argentina at the Paris 2024 Olympics ended in chaos as players and staff from both teams clashed on the pitch following France’s narrow 1-0 victory. The incident occurred moments after the final whistle, marring what had been a tense encounter.
French midfielder Enzo Millot received a red card after the match for his role in the altercation. According to reports, Millot’s over-zealous celebration towards Argentine players sparked the angry reaction that led to the brawl.
French manager Thierry Henry apologized for the disturbance, stating, “I don’t like this kind of thing. I’m not happy about it.” Henry added that Millot’s actions were “not helpful” to the team.
The match was already fraught with tension due to recent controversies:
– Argentine fans booed the French national anthem before the game, a continuation of similar incidents earlier in the Olympics.
– A racism row erupted last month when Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was involved in an offensive chant about French players following Argentina’s Copa America victory.
The chant in question, which dates back to the 2022 World Cup final between the two nations, alluded to the African heritage of several French players. Fernandez has since apologized for his involvement.
French defender Wesley Fofana, Fernandez’s Chelsea teammate, initially condemned the video as “uninhibited racism” but later stated that the two had reconciled, saying, “I know he is not racist.”
