The Argentine National Team will face Bolivia for the second date of the Qualifiers towards the 2026 World Cup this Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. at the La Paz stadium. In this context, the mayor of the host city showed his support for the Scaloneta with posters and flags that praise Lionel Messi and the team for their recent title in Qatar. The locals did not like this welcome very much and they expressed themselves on social networks.
The welcoming gesture, orchestrated by the La Paz authorities, unleashed deep anger in various sectors of Bolivian society, who see it as unjustified spending and poorly established priorities by the government.
The murals that the mayor of La Paz, Iván Durán, ordered to be painted.
Some posters such as “Welcome, champions” and “Messi, you are great” ignited anger among the public, while others questioned a mural that showed the representatives of the Bolivian National Team alongside the Argentinians.
Criticism, both sporting and political, focused on Iván Arias Durán, the city’s highest authority, accusing him of wasting public money supporting a foreign team instead of addressing local needs.
The journalist and writer Alfonso Gumucio expressed his discontent on social networks: “They close an entire main avenue of the city so that a bloody soccer team can pass through,” he wrote.
A local sports media also did so, underlining: “The Mayor orders gigantic posters to be made welcoming Argentina… but no parade supporting the Bolivian team.”
In addition, according to local media, the players of the Bolivian soccer team would also have been bothered by the murals in support of the Scaloneta, which they will have to face this Tuesday in the qualifying phase on the way to the 2026 World Cup.
The warm Bolivian welcome to the Argentine National Team
However, on the other side of the coin, numerous Bolivian fans received the world champions without rivalries, celebrating Argentina’s arrival as a historic event.
The flight, with Lionel Messi among its passengers, landed on Sunday night in the Bolivian capital. The Albiceleste players boarded a bus that took them to the hotel where they were received by thousands of people waiting for the Scaloneta and went crazy when they saw the best player in the world get off the bus.
When does the Argentine National Team play vs. Bolivia
The match between Bolivia and Argentina will be played on Tuesday, September 12, from 5 p.m., at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz, located 3,577 meters above sea level.
The referee of the match will be the Uruguayan Esteban Ostojich, while the VAR will be in charge of Andrés Cunha.
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2023-09-12 12:38:40#Controversy #Bolivia #match #Argentina #complaints #government #supporting #National #Team #Messi #support #albiceleste
