July 31 – A fan had to be wrestled away from Guinea forward Aliou Balde after rushing on to the field Tuesday in another security incident during the Olympic men’s football tournament.
The man raced on to the pitch at the end of the United States’ 3-0 win in Saint-Etienne.
The same venue was the scene of violence and chaos when Morocco fans invaded the field and threw bottles in their team’s win against Argentina, which was suspended for around two hours with just minutes remaining that were subsequently and controversially played out to an emptied stadium.
Security pounced on the Guinea fan and struggled for about one minute to pull him away from Balde, who was unhurt.
When Balde emerged, he removed his shirt and gave it to the fan.
“He say (to) me, ‘I love you and I watch you every game,’” Balde told The Associated Press. “I think he deserved this because he come in the pitch. For me it’s nice to do. It is not easy.”
Also Tuesday, a man holding a Palestinian flag invaded the pitch during Morocco’s game against Iraq in Nice and was swiftly removed by police.
All this comes after a group of anti-Isaeli protesters chanted ‘Heil Hitler’ from the stands during Israel’s match against Paraguay over the weekend. Along with the Nazi salute, the group waved Palestinian flags.
A Paris Olympic organiser commented: “Paris 2024 strongly condemns these acts. A complaint has been lodged by Paris 2024, which is at the disposal of the authorities to assist with the investigation.”
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