Olympics 2024: Football and rugby sevens events begin in Paris amidst chaos and police intervention

The sporting programme at the Paris Olympics endured a chaotic start on Wednesday as men’s football kicked off while a huge police operation was put in place for Israel’s first appearance at the Games.

Two days before the opening ceremony, Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in Saint-Etienne, but only after a late equaliser for the South American side was disallowed and the final minutes were played out in an empty stadium following crowd trouble.

Argentina thought they had escaped with a 2-2 draw when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time.

But as their players celebrated, projectiles including bottles and plastic cups rained down from the stands and several spectators entered the pitch, with the referee promptly blowing the whistle.

The teams left the playing area, but the referee had not blown for full-time and the outcome of the match was unclear until the sides finally reappeared two hours later to play out three more minutes in a stadium that was by now emptied of spectators.

Medina’s goal was eventually disallowed for offside following a review and Morocco celebrated a 2-1 win.

“It is a disgrace that this should happen and poison the tournament,” said Argentina coach Javier Mascherano.

Israel’s footballers later on Wednesday took on Mali under the watchful eye of 1,000 police...

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