Argentina's 2-2 draw against Morocco at the start of the Olympics is disallowed by the VAR after almost two hours. Moroccan fans had previously stormed the pitch. blue Sport spoke to Zubi, who is covering the Olympic tournament for FIFA, about the incidents.
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- The start of the Olympic football tournament was turbulent: Argentina scored in XXL injury time, Moroccan fans stormed the pitch - and the goal was taken back much later.
- blue Sport spoke to Pascal "Zubi" Zuberbühler, who is covering the Olympic tournament for FIFA, about the incidents at the match.
At the Olympic football tournament, Argentina scored the supposed equalizer against Morocco in the 16th minute of stoppage time. Moroccan fans had stormed onto the pitch outraged by the long stoppage time, meaning that play could not continue for the time being.
"Firecrackers were let off in the stadium and thrown onto the pitch. Fans ran onto the pitch and into the stadium, so unfortunately safety was no longer guaranteed," Pascal "Zubi" Zuberbühler notes in an interview with blue Sport. The former Nati goalkeeper has been working for FIFA, which organizes the football tournament together with the Olympic Committee, since the end of 2017. However, the Olympic Committee is solely responsible for security; FIFA has nothing to do with this issue.
Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg sent both teams to the dressing room after the unpleasant incidents. "The referee did the only right thing from my point of view," said Zubi, who was not present at the match in Saint-Étienne, as he attended the game between France and the USA in Marseille that evening.
"The Olympics is a huge advertisement for football"
For a long time, it was unclear whether the game had been stopped or just interrupted. In addition, the 2:2 goal was checked by video evidence for a possible offside position.
After almost two hours, the teams returned to the pitch in the now empty stadium. Both captains are said to have spoken out against the match being continued - in vain. After viewing the video footage, the referee reversed the 2:2 and allowed the remaining three minutes to be played, at which point the Moroccans' 2:1 victory was confirmed.
For Zubi, the behavior of the rowdy fans "no longer has anything to do with football". For the 53-year-old, it was a particular shame, as they had seen "wonderful games" at the Olympic opener.
"The stadiums are full. In Marseille, I was among 65,000 spectators in the Stade Vélodrome - huge. It's actually a huge advertisement for football," Zubi sums up.
