“It was to wind them up” - France midfielder Enzo Millot opens up on provoking Argentina stars before brawl during Olympics clash
France and Argentina clashed in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris but the match ended in a melee that seemed inevitable. Les Blues made it through to the semifinals, as they rode on an early lead from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
France and Argentina seem to have become belligerents to each other in the football world, both on and off the pitch. Since La Albiceleste won the World Cup in 2022, having defeated Les Bleus, both nations have been at odds.
The hatred was fueled further after Enzo Fernandez posted a video of the Argentina squad singing a section of a racist song directed at the ancestry of the African players in the French team.
The video got a lot of French players upset and they have seemed vindictive against the Argentines ever since. Following their 1-0 victory against Argentina in the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, the French players saw it as an opportunity to get back at the Argentina players.
After the final whistle, players from both teams clashed on the field. France and VfB Stuttgart midfielder Enzo Millot was the chief instigator of the fracas that ensued between both teams. Millot admitted to provoking the Argentines as a way to get back at them for their COPA America triumph video that was racially targeted at them. He said, according to Sportstar:
“I went to celebrate the victory in front of their bench, yes, it was to wind them up a bit. We were thinking about it (the video), it spurred us on.”
He added:
"As soon as we saw who we were playing, we were glad to be playing against them. It's a good war between two nations.”
However, Enzo Millot's provocative gesture didn't age well, as he was shown a red card by the referee.
Thierry Henry fumes as France defeats Argentina in Olympics quarterfinals
In the aftermath of the melee, France coach Theirry Henry expressed his disapproval of the referee's decision, claiming it wasn't right. He was angered by the decision and said that Milot shouldn't have been given a red card.
He told Metro:
"I don’t agree with what happened at the end of the match. My player [Millot] got a red card and I don’t accept it, it shouldn’t happen. I couldn’t control what happened. I went to greet the coach and when I turned around, what happened happened. We won; but I didn’t like what happened at the end with my player."
Meanwhile, he praised Javier Mascherano's side for their determination in pushing for an equalizer. France will play against Egypt on Monday (August 5) to fight for a spot in the final as they look to win their first Olympic football gold medal in 40 years.