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THERE is no love lost between France and Argentina on the football field these days and their quarter-final meeting in Bordeaux today will add spice to the men’s Olympic tournament.
The last-eight clash between the rivals is in many ways exactly what was needed for a competition mainly reserved for players aged under 23, lacking in star names and struggling to attract attention from the general football public.
There will be plenty of reasons to follow the encounter between two of the leading contenders to go all the way and win gold in Paris on August 9.
It will be the first meeting of the nations since Argentina players were recorded singing racist chants about their French counterparts as they celebrated winning the Copa America in mid-July.
FIFA announced that it would investigate the chants, which targeted France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe among others and included racist and homophobic insults.
The chants even led to a diplomatic incident, with Argentina apologising after the South American country’s vice president, Victoria Villarruel, wrote on X that France was a “colonialist country”. “Enough with feigned outrage, hypocrites,” she added.
Argentina players have already been booed by rival fans during the Olympic tournament and can expect another heated welcome from the French crowd.
“With everything that has happened recently, everyone in France was affected, so we will see what happens in the quarter-finals,” warned France’s Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta after the hosts finished the group phase with three wins out of three.
Today’s showdown will also be the first between the sides since the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar which Argentina won on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw.
However, the men’s Olympic football tournament is an under-23 competition, albeit with the exception of up to three over-age players per squad. — SuperSport.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu