The Argentina Football Association (AFA) has launched an official complaint to FIFA regarding incidents during their opening 2024 Olympics match. The South Americans began their tournament on Wednesday with a matchup against Morocco. Cristian Medina looked to have given Argentina a point in the game with a late game-tying goal in added time.

However, the goal was eventually disallowed after a lengthy and chaotic delay. Immediately following the incident involving Medina, Moroccan fans rushed to the pitch to interrupt Argentina’s celebrations. Some of the fans even hurled bottles and firecrackers at the opposing players. As a result of the issue, the game was stopped for nearly two hours.

It was only after this lengthy break that the game eventually resumed without any spectators in the stands. The goal by Medina was then chalked off due to a VAR decision for offside. In the end, the two sides played out the final few minutes of the match, which resulted in a Morocco victory.

Several senior Argentina players recently sang a racist song about French players to fuel the issues. Midfielder Enzo Fernandez recorded himself and other teammates singing the song while celebrating their Copa America triumph. The Olympic games are currently happening in France.

Argentine officials point to a similar incident back in 2015

Following the mess, Argentina is now pleading with FIFA to take action. In the formal complaint, the AFA essentially demanded that the governing body take “necessary regulatory measures… for an event of such gravity.” According to reports in South America, this potentially includes reversing the match result and awarding Argentina with a victory.

“It is imperative to guarantee the safety of the protagonists for the peaceful development of this beautiful sport that is football and from the home of Argentine Football, we will do what is necessary to make this happen,” read AFA’s statement.

In their hopes of flipping the scoreline, Argentina is pointing to a similar incident in the 2015 Copa Libertadores. The previous round of 16 matchup between bitter rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors suffered from fan violence. River took a slim 1-0 lead in the two-legged tie into the second fixture. With the return leg scoreless at halftime, select Boca fans attacked River players with tear gas. As a result, authorities immediately abandoned the match.

CONMEBOL, the governing body of the sport in South America, then opened an investigation into the matter. The organization officially disqualified Boca from the tournament the next day. River eventually went on to win the competition by beating Mexican side Tigres in the final.

Olympic organizers are adding extra security during games

It remains unclear if FIFA will make the major decision to grant Argentina a win in the chaotic match. Nevertheless, Olympic organizers did publicly claim that they are “working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions.”

Tournament officials then stated that they would now introduce more security staff and additional crowd barriers for the matches. The 2024 Olympics averages around 17,000 security members each day. This figure, however, can increase up to 22,000 on busier days.

Argentina next faces Group B leaders Iraq on Saturday, July 27. The Middle Eastern team recently topped Ukraine in their opening game of the competition. Morocco, on the other hand, plays Ukraine on the same day. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.