France meet Argentina for a potential grudge match in Bordeaux as the men’s Olympics football quarter-finals take place on Friday.
There has been recent animosity between the teams after Argentina players were filmed singing a derogatory song about France’s black players in the aftermath of winning the Copa America on 14 July.
It was similar to a song sung by Argentina fans during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – a tournament in which the South Americans went on to beat France in the final.
At the Olympics, Argentina’s rugby sevens players have been booed in each of their games by the home French fans.
“With everything that has happened recently, everyone in France was affected, so we will see what happens in the quarter-finals,” said Jean-Philippe Mateta, who captained France in their win against New Zealand.
After beating Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final in July, several members of the Argentina squad were filmed singing a song questioning the heritage of France’s black and mixed-race players.
Argentina fans had sung a song which was described as both racist and homophobic about France’s players at the last World Cup.
The rivalry grew when Argentina beat France on penalties in a thrilling final – with Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick having been only enough for Les Bleus to earn a 3-3 draw.
After that December 2022 game, footage emerged from the Argentina dressing room of the players singing “a minute’s silence for” and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez shouting “for Mbappe who is dead”.
At their celebrations back in Argentina, Aston Villa’s Martinez held a toy baby with Mbappe’s face on, while fans had a coffin lid with a picture of the forward which they set on fire.
Those issues were stirred up again after Argentina’s Copa America final win.
Chelsea have decided not to take any action against their midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was singing and had posted the video to his social media account.
His Blues team-mate Wesley Fofana, a French man with an Ivorian father, called it “uninhibited racism” and has since said he hopes the matter will have educated Fernandez.
The men’s football tournament of the Olympics is an under-23 event – with three overage players allowed.
Fifa does not force clubs to release players – so managers have to choose from who is available.
Hosts France had wanted to call up Mbappe, but Real Madrid would not allow their new star signing to play at the European Championship and Olympics in the same summer.
France’s squad includes Crystal Palace striker Mateta, his former club-mate Michael Olise, who has joined Bayern Munich this summer, and captain Alexandre Lacazette, once of Arsenal.
Les Bleus beat the United States, Guinea and New Zealand in the group stages without conceding a goal. Their three overage players have all scored.
Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez is in Argentina’s Olympics squad, just weeks after winning the Copa America with the senior team.
Former City defender Nicolas Otamendi, now of Benfica, and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who was once registered to City but never played for them, are the other two overage players. Both were also involved in the victorious Copa America squad.
Argentina lost 2-1 to Morocco in their opening Group B game but beat Iraq and Ukraine to go through in second place. Botafogo forward Thiago Almada is their top scorer with two goals. (BBC Sports)
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