World Cup: Argentina revel in 'home' support at Qatar tournament

DOHA – Lionel Messi and Argentina’s bid for a third World Cup crown is being boosted by hordes of travelling fans who have transformed each of their matches in Qatar into virtual home games.

Argentinian football venues are renowned for their seething intensity – iconic Buenos Aires cauldrons such as the La Bombonera or Estadio Monumental tremble with passionate ferocity.

Those kinds of scenes have been recreated regularly at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, where tens of thousands of Argentinian fans have created a raucous wall of blue-and-white-shirted sound.

Argentina have already played three games at the 88,966-seat arena, where Messi and his teammates will battle Croatia on Tuesday, aiming to book a place in the World Cup final.

After most of their games, La Albiceleste have lingered on the pitch long after the final whistle, sharing a moment of emotionally charged communion with their supporters.

“We like to take advantage of these moments with the people who are here and in Argentina, where everyone is euphoric,” Messi said, following last Friday’s quarter-final win over the Netherlands.

According to the Argentinian embassy in Qatar, between 35,000 and 40,000 supporters – one of the largest contingents of overseas fans at the tournament – have travelled to the World Cup to back the team, which has been augmented by thousands of Qatar-based migrant workers from India and Bangladesh, where Messi and Argentina enjoy widespread support.

“Compared to France, Argentina aren’t quite at the same level as a team – but they are a team who are benefiting from the support they have here,” the Argentina-born former France striker David Trezeguet said.

At the end of each of their victories at the World Cup, after joining supporters in post-match singing, Argentina’s players will repeat the line that they are playing for “45 million” of their compatriots.

“What I do, I do for the 45 million. They are going through a bad economic period. Giving people joy is the best thing that I can do at the moment,” said Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Trezeguet believes the bond between Argentina’s players and their supporters has been forged by the economic crisis battering the country, where inflation has skyrocketed.

“My first memories of the Argentina team were in Mexico in 1986. It was crazy back then, but nothing like as crazy as it is now. The socio-economic situation in Argentina at the moment has made the support for the team more passionate than ever,” Trezeguet said.

According to reports in the media, many of the fans who have travelled to Qatar have spent years saving up to make the trip, diligently converting their Argentinian pesos into US dollars in order to avoid the ravages of inflation.

Even for others such as Beto, a fan in his 60s who currently resides in the United States, the devotion remains as intense as ever.

“Even though I’ve lived in the United States for a long time, if you cut my wrist, I will bleed blue and white. We have an immense passion for football. We suffer a lot on a daily basis because there are problems in our country, the economy is not doing well. But football gives us this energy which allows us to go from nothing to everything.” AFP