Celebrated in Buenos Aires, Argentine champions ditch the bus for the helicopter

Published on : 21/12/2022 – 09:56

Given the extent of the gathering in their honor in Buenos Aires, to celebrate their title of world football champion, the Albiceleste players had to fly over the planned route in the Argentine capital by helicopter rather than by bus.

The Argentine football world champion team began a mid-afternoon helicopter flight over Buenos Aires on Tuesday, December 20, abandoning a victory parade by bus that had become “impossible” due to “the explosion of joy popular,” the country’s presidency announced.

“The world champions are flying over the entire planned route in helicopters, as it has become impossible to continue by road,” presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti said in a tweet. “Let us continue to celebrate in peace, and show them our love and admiration,” she added.

The World Champions are flying over the entire route in helicopters because it became impossible to continue on land due to the explosion of popular joy. Let’s continue to celebrate in peace and show them our love and admiration!

— Gabriela Cerruti (@gabicerru) December 20, 2022

More than four million people, according to a source from the municipality, had massed on the course of the team, between the complex of the Argentine Federation (AFA) 32 km from the capital, and the heart of the city.

A few minutes earlier, the president of the AFA Chiqui Tapia had announced that the security authorities “won’t let us get to the end to greet all the people who were waiting at the Obelisk”. “A thousand apologies on behalf of all the champion players,” he added in a tweet.

They don’t let us get to greet all the people who were at the Obelisk, the same Security agencies that escorted us, don’t allow us to move forward.
A thousand apologies on behalf of all the Champion players.
A pity ????????????

— Chiqui Tapia (@tapiachiqui) December 20, 2022

Leaving at 11:45 a.m. (2:45 p.m. GMT) from the AFA headquarters, the bus of the now Argentinian “tri-campeones” was to reach the Obelisk, the nerve center of the celebrations. But he had only traveled about ten kilometers three hours later, slowed down along the way by tens of thousands of supporters wearing sky and white jerseys, AFP noted.

>> To read also: Lionel Messi finally adored to its full extent

Argentinian television footage showed, at one point along the route, a fan attempting to jump onto the players’ bus as it passed just under a road bridge, but missing his reception, and ending his fall in the compact crowd following the bus on foot.

The helicopter flight seemed to confirm that the team would not report to the balcony of the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace. Right where Maradona appeared with the trophy after the last world title, in 1986.

Small consolation for the supporters: to know that the World Cup passed well above their heads, from the Obelisk, in one of the helicopters, occupied by Messi, Scaloni and De Paul, according to a press release from the federal police.

“A little disappointment of course, everything could have been better organized so that we can take advantage of something that we have not taken advantage of for 36 years”, lamented Roman Garcia, 36-year-old administrative agent.

A look back at Albiceleste’s world title celebrations

With AFP