- Saturday, April 27, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Argentina captain Lionel Messi and his teammates had to abandon an open bus and a planned victory parade on the streets of Buenos Aires, the country’s capital, on Tuesday (20) as millions of fans gathered to celebrate the La Albiceleste’s FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar on Sunday (18).
The footballers instead flew over the city in helicopters.
The football-crazy nation has been overwhelmed since Argentina beat reigning champions France 4-2 in penalty shootouts after the match ended in a 3-3 draw after extra time at the Lusail Stadium. The supporters swarmed the Argentina team bus upon the players’ arrival around 3 am local time and the trip which was planned through the city at midday was disrupted with at least four million people celebrating on the streets, according to Clarin, Argentina’s largest newspaper.
One video that went viral on social media showed a fan dangerously dropping from a bridge onto the team bus carrying Messi while another falling into the crowd.
Chiqui Tapia, the head of Argentina’s football association, said they were unable to continue with the bus parade and apologised to supporters who came out early to witness their heroes.
One of the members of the team, Enzo Fernandez, posted a picture of himself flying in a helicopter with a headset. A presidential source said that the footballers were flying over the crowds since the roads were clogged because of an “explosion of happiness”, Bloomberg reported.
Wild celebrations kicked off across the country of 46 million after president Alberto Fernandez decreed a national holiday in the wake of the famous victory. Broadcasts on local television have shown people filling highway bridges, climbing lights posts and vehicles while singing and waving Argentina’s national flag and football jerseys.
While the celebrations gave the people of Argentina a happy distraction from economic hardships caused by high inflation, a weakening currency, and capital controls, the moments also gave glimpses into uneasy politics.
According to Bloomberg, the Argentina players were reluctant to meet government officials in order to avoid mixing sports with politics. The football federation ruled out a visit by the players to the presidential palace and when the plane carrying the footballers touched the soil of Buenos Aires, Messi was found not greeting Argentina’s interior minister Eduardo de Pedro, who was waiting in the tarmac.
This is Argentina’s third World Cup title after 1978 and 1986.
