The FIFA Disciplinary Committee decided, in accordance with Article 36 of its Code, to appoint an integrity expert to assist in investigations into potential violations of the organization’s regulations following the incidents that occurred during the match between Argentina and Morocco on the first day of the men’s tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
FIFA added that it will publish more information about the outcome of these investigations “in due time.”
The match, held on Wednesday at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne, was marred by incidents, including Moroccan fans entering the field and especially after Cristian Medina equalized in the last moments of the 15 minutes of added time awarded by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg.
The match was interrupted after the field invasion and the throwing of bottles and a firecracker at the Argentine players while they celebrated a dramatic goal that made the score 2-2, after being down 0-2.
Due to these incidents, players had to enter the locker rooms for safety reasons while fans were evacuated from the stadium and its surroundings.
The goal was reviewed and disallowed. Both teams returned nearly two hours later to play the remaining three minutes. The score did not change, and Morocco defeated Argentina 2-1.
The resolution of the events provoked outrage in Argentina. The AFA even filed a complaint with FIFA regarding the incident, as announced by its president, Claudio Tapia, “so that the appropriate regulatory measures are taken and sanctions are imposed on those responsible.”
Organizational sources informed EFE that Paris 2024 takes “very seriously” the incidents that clouded the end of the match. “We can confirm that enhanced security measures, including increased presence of officers on the pitch, will be adopted in upcoming matches at the Saint-Etienne stadium,” they stated.
According to information from Paris 2024, “a small group of fans entered the field at minute 105 of the Argentina-Morocco match, mistakenly thinking that the match had ended.”
An hour and a half later, the match resumed “safely” and “without anyone getting injured,” the sources indicated.