Thierry Henry Apologizes After Violent Fight Breaks Out in France vs Argentina Paris Olympics Quarterfinal

Everything went chaotic during France vs Argentina. The quarterfinal fixture saw the hosts progress to the semifinals by clinching a narrow win over La Albiceleste. However, the aftermath saw a 30-man brawl transpire between the two sides at the Bordeaux Stadium, forcing French boss Thierry Henry to apologize, stating, he ‘couldn’t control’ what happened.

Tensions are expected to flare in such intense matches, but one shouldn’t forget how fierce the rivalry has been between the two sides, especially after what transpired in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup final. Despite being at loggerheads, it wasn’t the exact note that Henry wanted the night to end on. Speaking to journalist Gastón Edul in the post-match interview, the former Monaco boss reacted to the brawl saying, “I apologize for the final disturbance. It’s not what I wanted and I couldn’t control it. In fact, they kicked out a player.”

The heat was sensed throughout the 90-minute spectacle. Henry and Co. asserted their dominance just five into the match thanks to a decent finish from Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta. Though Javier Mascherano’s Argentina tried to level the score by creating significant chances and keeping 60% possession, the French backline prevailed from conceding any goal.

Likewise, both sides played a rough game, as evidenced by the 10 yellow cards issued by the referee—5 to France and 5 to Argentina. Additionally, Henry’s side committed 18 fouls throughout the game, compared to Mascherano and Co.’s 10. Furthermore, after the final whistle, a red card was also issued to French midfielder Enzo Millot, who will be unavailable for the semifinal clash. But the biggest question remains: why did the fight occur in the first place?

Why did Thierry Henry’s France & Javier Mascherano’s Argentina players brawl after the final whistle?

After the full-time whistle, the French substitutes and staff were pictured running from the bench to celebrate with the playing XI. Next thing you know, a melee initiates between the two rival teams as stewards and security forces quickly rush to calm the matter. A big hoop of angry players continued to move towards the touchline, before eventually swarming down the tunnel, where more chaos took place.

Though France’s players later reemerged to celebrate their victory in front of a fired-up home crowd, they didn’t spare the Argentinian fans. They specifically came near La Albiceleste’s crowd and started teasing them with their win by jumping and making chants. Perhaps this was the French player’s way of responding to some of Argentina’s supporters celebrating the 2022 World Cup win of Lionel Messi and Co. with a derogatory chant about France that has been widely condemned as racist, homophobic, and transphobic.

Yet, what became a major headline was that before kickoff, Argentina’s national anthem was booed by rival supporters. But before you make judgments, there was a reason for these jeers: several Argentina players had been filmed singing the same derogatory song about France’s Black players after the Copa America final win.

It remains to be seen what the Olympic Committee has to say about the brawl. For now, France should celebrate the victory as it comes to be a huge achievement for Henry. They will now face Egypt, who came with a 1-1 draw but prevailed in the penalty shootouts to defeat Paraguay.