Argentina have reported the incident to the police in Lyon after Olympic coach Javier Mascherano revealed one of his players, Thiago Almada, was robbed of valuables during the tournament in France on
Wednesday. Argentina’s Olympics began with a shock 2-1 defeat to Morocco and after the match, Mascherano opened up about the problems the team has faced at the training camp. “Yesterday
they broke into our room and Thiago Almada’s watch and ring were missing,” the legendary midfielder, who won gold in 2004 and 2008, began.
“We were robbed at the Olympic Games but we didn’t want to say anything after training. I don’t think that helps anything but of course it is quite unacceptable.”
French police confirmed in a statement that Argentina had sent representatives to file an official complaint. Mascherano also criticised organisers for the chaos at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard
in the 16th minute of stoppage time. Argentina equalised against Morocco but flares were thrown by fans. And rushed onto the field, having to rest for 2 hours, while VAR disallowed the goal for offside, before returning to play for another 3 minutes without any change.
“I have not been a coach for long, but in my career as a player, I have never seen anything like this before. They invaded the field seven times and threw flares at us,” Mascherano continued.
“The organizer said the game was over 2-2, and even Morocco did not want to continue playing. It was like a circus, that’s what happened.
“We have no control over anything. I told my players that we need to use the energy and anger from this incident to look forward and try to get another six points to qualify. “
“This incident is a shame and it has damaged the tournament. It should not even happen at a local level. The organizing body needs to raise the standards and, unfortunately, it is not like that now.”
Meanwhile, Argentina has asked FIFA to protect the safety of its players. โปรโมชั่น ufabet The next game is against Iraq at the Stade de Lyon.