‘What happened was a scandal’ - Mascherano blasts VAR call following loss to Morocco
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Mascherano blasts VAR call || Getty

‘What happened was a scandal’ - Mascherano blasts VAR call following loss to Morocco

Stephen Oladehinde 14:42 - 25.07.2024

Argentina's manager Javier Mascherano has angrily reacted to his team's loss to Morocco in their opening Olympic game.

The World Cup winners suffered a controversial 2-1 defeat in their opening game at the Olympics against Morocco.

The Argentina team scored a late equaliser in stoppage time to secure a draw but the goal was chalked off after a VAR review.

The scenario of fans storming the pitch and the offside call by the VAR led to an outburst from Mascherano 

Mascherano reacts to the pitch incident

Morocco's 2-1 victory was met with criticism from Argentina's manager, who labelled it "the biggest circus I've ever seen in my life."

According to the Sun, Mascherano said, "What happened was a scandal. This is not a neighbourhood tournament, it is the Olympic Games.

Javier Mascherano Argentina manager || Imago
Javier Mascherano Argentina manager || Imago

"They never told us that a play was being reviewed. We are not going to file a complaint, that's it. 

“We have to look forward, this is already over. We have to win both games to qualify. The group is strong.”

The Argentine head coach has said that despite the whole incident, the team will not file a complaint. 

Riot Police called upon during pitch invation || Getty
Riot Police called upon during pitch invation || Getty

Following Medina's alleged equaliser, there were dramatic scenes with bottles and firecrackers being thrown from the stands.

The Argentine stars were forced to leave the pitch as some fans started throwing objects that could be deadly at them. 

To keep the scenario from getting worse, riot cops were called to the scene to avoid further disturbance from fans.

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