ArgentinaCaptain of the Olympic team Nicolas Otamendi was furious after a brawl broke out following his team’s 1-0 quarter-final defeat to France in Bordeaux on Friday.
Argentina were booed by the home crowd throughout the match, and the players brawled immediately after the final whistle.
There was a scuffle for several minutes before the players were dispersed. Some French players appeared to run down the tunnel a few minutes later before returning a short time later to perform a lap of honour.
After the brawl, Otamendi aimed at the French defender Badé Lakewho he said celebrated excessively in front of the families of the Argentine players.
“I was so angry when they came to his family and celebrated in his face,” Otamendi said.
“[If] He [Badé] feel like celebrating, let him come to where we are and we’ll work it out there. We’ll talk about whatever we have to talk about.”
Although primarily an Under-23 tournament, this match is the rematch that French fans have been waiting for since Argentina’s dramatic penalty shootout victory in the 2022 World Cup final.
A racism scandal has heightened tensions ahead of the match after Chelsea‘S Enzo Fernandez posted a Video of Argentine players singing offensive lyrics about the French players of African descent as they celebrate South American Cup won last month.
French Olympic team coach Thierry Henry was also not happy with the brawl and was furious after the midfielder Enzo Millot was chased away.
“I went to shake the opposing coach’s hand and suddenly I saw a lot of things happening,” Henry told reporters.
“I don’t like seeing things like this. It’s not necessary.
“We don’t want to lose a player. [to suspension] but in vain, he didn’t even play [at the final whistle].
“I’m really not happy about that. We were all united, the only negative was getting a red card on the bench.”
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored in the fifth minute for Henry’s team, who would face Egypt in the semi-finals.
