Euro 2024: The Hilarious Moment Fans Ask Referee for His Shirt During France vs Austria

• 2022 World Cup finalists, France, edged Austria 1-0 in their opening game of the Euro 2024 on Monday, June 17
• There was a contentious moment before France’s opener as the Austrians should have been given a corner kick
• Some fans from the stands went viral for hilariously asking the referee for his shirt using placards at the game

It’s never a proper major international tournament without some weird occurrences from the stands.

Whether it is a former Miss Croatia stealing the show at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar or a fan getting busted by the kiss cam at the Africa Cup of Nations, international football competitions tend to deliver in terms of hilarious moments.

At the Euro 2024, we might have already seen the most viral fan moment of the tournament, which occurred during France’s game against Austria.

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Les Blues kicked off their campaign in the European championships on Monday, June 17, playing Ralf Rangnick’s Austria in Dusseldorf, according to Sky Sports.

Didier Deschamps’ side won 1-0 courtesy of a Max Wober own goal, but the most significant talking point of the game was Kylian Mbappe’s nose injury.

The new Real Madrid man was taken off with 10 minutes of normal time to go, with France facing a nervy wait to know the extent of their superstar’s injury.

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Despite the presence of several superstars during France versus Austria, some fans at the stadium were particularly interested in referee, Jesus Gil Manzano.

Photos shared by ESPN on Tuesday showed the fans displaying placards begging the referee for his shirt; typical of how supporters ask their favourite players.

One of the placards hilariously read, 'No referee, no party'. The fans were clearly just trying to have their viral moment, but the whole picture was quite comical.

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Meanwhile, Manzano was on the spot over a contentious decision during the game, as he controversially awarded France a goal kick, moments before Les Blues scored their opener.

With the scores deadlocked at 0-0, Marcel Sabitzer fed a ball to the path of Christoph Baumgartner, whose tame attempt to chip the France goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, failed and the ball rolled out of play.

Despite Maignan getting the final touch on the ball, the referee awarded a goal kick instead, and France scored their opening goal moments later, sparking fury among Austria fans.

Romelu Lukaku sets dismal record

In other Euro news, Sports Brief also previously reported on Romelu Lukaku setting an unwanted record during Belgium’s opening game defeat to Slovakia.

The former Inter Milan striker had two goals ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), after appearing to have equalised for the Red Devils after the break.

Ivan Schranz's opening goal inside seven minutes was the only difference in the Group E encounter, with Slovakia managing to defend their lead on June 17.