December 21 – Argentina’s World Cup heroes were forced to abandon an open-top bus parade in Buenos Aires on Tuesday as millions of ecstatic fans brought the city to a standstill.
As about four million fans descended on the capital, the team were airlifted from the bus and on to helicopters due to safety concerns, and had to complete the parade by air.
Some fans had even camped out overnight to secure a spot where they hoped to get the best view of Lionel Messi and his fellow world champions
The head of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Chiqui Tapia, confirmed that players were unable to reach the central Obelisco monument as planned due to the size of the crowd. Pictures also showed a fan jumping into the bus from an overhead bridge, dropping into the overhead deck occupied by the Argentina players.
“The security agents that escorted us won’t allow us to move forward. A thousand apologies on behalf of all the champion players,” said Tapia.
Gabriela Cerruti, a spokesperson for President Alberto Fernandez added on social media: “The world champions are flying over the whole route on helicopters because it was impossible to continue by land due to the explosion of people’s happiness,”
President Alberto Fernandez declared a national holiday Tuesday so the country could celebrate their first World Cup triumph since 1986.
Argentina has been in party mode ever since the thrilling win over France, a much-needed boost for a country that is suffering one of the world’s highest inflation rates and where almost four in 10 people live in poverty.
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