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World Cup – Argentina – Netherlands: How does Argentina manage to have such an atmosphere in the stadiums?

Even the Dutch press ended up giving up trying to find an exact figure. The observation is obvious to her: the Oranje Army, never the last when it comes to supporting its national teams, has already lost the war for Friday. In the stands of the Lusail stadium, NOS had put forward the figure of 30,000 Argentinian fans for this quarter-final. They should rather be around 50,000 according to the count of the Telegraph. Despite last minute reinforcements, the Dutch should number… 1400.

A habit in this World Cup. According to the Argentinian embassy in Qatar, 30,000 to 40,000 Argentinian supporters made the trip to support the Albiceleste in the quest it has embarked on: to offer a World Cup to Lionel Messi. “It’s absolutely crazy what’s going on around this teamsays Nicolás Migliavacca, journalist at Olé. But it’s not just limited to the fans in Qatar: after the victory against Australia, there was a rally near the Obelisk, the place where big victories are usually celebrated.“.

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A huge crowd under the Obelisk in Buenos Aires after qualifying for the quarterfinals

Credit: Getty Images

81% audience share in Argentina

There is no boycott there. Against Mexico, the broadcaster’s audience share was 81%, an all-time record in this football country. In the middle of summer, Argentina is therefore passionate about the future of its Albiceleste. And some, despite the terrible economic difficulties of the country, decided to take the plunge to join Qatar, just to maintain the tradition of a national team supported in numbers, as was already the case in Russia, South Africa but especially in Brazil.

The first explanation for the deafening atmosphere in the Qatari stadiums when Argentina is first comes from there, from this almost disproportionate love of the Albiceleste. It was enough to see the contrast between the former glories of Brazil and Argentina in the round of 16 to also grasp the essence of supporterism in Argentina.

While the Rivaldo quartet, Roberto Carlos, Cafu and Ronaldo had a good time in the stands as the Seleçao strolled against South Korea, Kun Agüero, Batistuta, Sorín, Cambiasso, Zanetti or Crespo had dropped the jacket and had long since abandoned their seat to sing and dance in support of their own. In 2018, the presence of Diego Maradona in Russia had also reinforced the idea that in the World Cup, it is the sacred union behind the Albiceleste.

“The enigma” which is not one

But these “normal” supporters are only the tip of the iceberg. Because, behind the scenes, Argentina has understood that the delirious atmosphere heard in Qatar also came from the presence of certain barras bravas. These groups of local supporters, institutionalized in Argentina, form part of the identity of the Argentinian fervor. So in Qatar, when the boat started rocking, they came crashing down.
It’s always been the caserembobine Matthieu, partner of Boca Juniors and attentive follower of the subject. The barras have always managed to cohabit on the events related to the selection. Lately, we saw them a little less, in particular because many of them are banned from stadiums but also from entering territories. This was the case in Qatar since the Argentine government gave the names of some to the Qatari authorities“.

Argentinian hinchas against Australia

Credit: Getty Images

A list of 6,475 names was actually transmitted to Qatar. Worry, some of these names were able to land in Doha without any problem to organize the Argentine stands, and therefore to raise the volume a little more. Tyc Sports has thus identified nearly 100 supporters banned from the stadium in theory but present from the match against Mexico. The subject is mentioned in the Argentine press but still seems stubborn when it comes to finding a rational explanation, or rather, publicly avowable: “the enigma of the bans in Qatar who managed to enter despite everything“, titled TN Sports a very complete article on the subject.

Maybe the federation did the right thing to get them there

Those who managed to enter the stadium should not have had access to it. We have figures which prove that they arrived in a dispersed way but that they all agreed in the last match to find themselves just behind the goals“, explains a source from the Argentine Interior Ministry to the media. That’s why you may have seen drums in the colors of Boca or the coats of arms of Club Atletico de Vélez among the Argentine blue and white jerseys.

It is a very hierarchical system, classified by lineexplains Matthew. The front line is the most prestigious etc. A front line barra is someone who can be invited to the wedding of a politician, a football player. He is almost a minister. These were banned in Qatar. But there are still those in the second or third line. We have seen many who have arrived in Qatar. If they are there, it may be that the federation did what was necessary to make them there“.

Argentinian hinchas against Australia

Credit: Getty Images

The surprise would not really be so much the links between politicians and barras are commonplace in Argentina. At the head of the Argentine federation, a state within a state, Claudio Tapia has always maintained an ambivalent relationship with the barras bravas. The current president of the AFA has only followed the model: Mauricio Macri, former president of Boca Juniors who became president of the Republic, had more than cordial relations with the “Doce”, emblematic barra, who receives income via the various sales of the club but even manages the car parks of the Bombonera.

Tapia had done nothing else in 2017, when Argentina played a last match at the Bombonera under different tension to validate their ticket for Russia. 4,000 seats allocated to the federation had been given to the chefs of the “Doce”, just to ensure an atmosphere worthy of a great Argentine evening. Has the match ticket pump been activated again? This is a hypothesis that still awaits official confirmation, which may never come. After all, in Argentina, to allow Messi to lift the Grail, we are no longer one concession away…

To go further on the subject of barras bravas, listen to the analysis of our specialist Thomas Goubin in our podcast “Tour d’Europe”

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