The quarter-final of the men’s Olympic football tournament between France and Argentina ended on Friday with a huge confrontation on the field.
Host nation France, led by Thierry Henry, won the match 1-0 to advance to a quarter-final clash with Egypt, thanks to an early goal from Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The match was the latest chapter in the fierce rivalry between these two great footballing nations.
Tensions between the two have been running high since Argentina defeated Les Bleus on penalties in December 2022 to win the epic FIFA World Cup final.
Some Argentine fans celebrated the victory by creating a derogatory slogan about France, which was widely condemned as racist, homophobic and transphobic.
Both sets of players clashed after France beat Argentina 1-0 in Bordeaux
That song was sung again – also by a group of players – after Argentina won the Copa America in the United States this summer.
Before the match, the Argentine national anthem was booed by the crowd at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux.
What happened after the final whistle was also met with derisive laughter from the stands.
It seemed like things were quickly getting out of hand.
One moment the French substitutes and staff were being photographed jogging off the bench to celebrate with the players on the pitch. The next there was a brawl between 30 men.
A circle of angry players then moved towards the touchline, eventually swarming into the players’ tunnel, where further chaos ensued.
More to follow.