One day in Paris: Soccer violence; athletes robbed; drag queen carries torch

: World Tribune; 25 July 2024; Hits: 21

by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News July 25, 2024

The Opening Ceremonies have yet to be held, but the Paris Olympic Games have already been marked by a different kind of spectacle.

The opening match of the men’s soccer tournament on Wednesday was marked by violence after fans from Morocco stormed the field and threw bottles and other objects onto the pitch after Argentina had apparently scored a game-tying goal 16 minutes into added time.

The match was delayed for two hours as the chaos was cleared and the stadium in Saint-Etienne was emptied of fans. Then, referees ruled that Argentina had been offside on the goal and it was disallowed. After another three minutes of added time following the long delay, Morocco claimed a 2-1 victory.

Argentina’s soccer federation said it issued a formal protest to world governing body FIFA to “take the necessary regulatory measures for such a serious event.”

“Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions,” a spokesperson for Paris organizers said.

Before Wednesday’s match, Argentina men’s soccer coach Javier Mascherano said the team’s Olympic training base was robbed.

“They went into training and they robbed us, in the Olympic Games,” Mascherano said. “We didn’t want to say anything after training, I don’t think it helps anything. But obviously it’s a bit disagreeable that these kinds of things happen.”

Mascherano said midfielder Thiago Almada’s watch was among the items taken.

Meanwhile, there is no Olympic event for drag queens, but that didn’t stop the Paris organizers from recruiting one to carry the Olympic torch.

Why would anyone watch the woke Paris Olympics.

Passing of the torch is ruined by gender politics.pic.twitter.com/Xc79lpbBWH

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) July 25, 2024