World Cup: Indian drums, Argentina fans greet Messi's arrival for World Cup

DOHA – Indian drums drowned out Argentina’s die-hard fans as hundreds waited hours to get a glimpse of a bus carrying Lionel Messi outside his World Cup team base in Qatar on Thursday.

The drummers and Indian beat dancers again showed how Qatar 2022 is going to be a different experience for players and visiting fans. Supporters from the sub-continent had outnumbered England fans when they greeted Harry Kane’s side on Tuesday.

A crowd of more than 500 who had waited until the wee hours to see the arrival of their heroes was split evenly between Argentina’s Indian fans and those from the South American country, many of whom have spent thousands of dollars to get to the World Cup.

The team flew in early on Thursday from Abu Dhabi, where they beat United Arab Emirates 5-0 in their final World Cup warm-up on Wednesday night, with Messi, 35, scoring his 91st international goal.

One of the favourites going into the Qatar World Cup, Argentina will begin their campaign on Tuesday against Saudi Arabia in Group C, which also includes Mexico and Poland.

Members of the Argentina Fans In Qatar club, who claim more than 5,000 members, brought drums decorated with “Leo” Messi’s portrait to the team base at Qatar University.

“If this is going to be Leo’s last World Cup, there can be no better place for it,” said Munish Sharma.

Indian fans have already made their mark with thousands taking part in a march and wearing the jerseys from top football nations, including Argentina, Brazil and England.

“They do make a lot of noise,” said Laura Valero, who arrived from Buenos Aires on Tuesday. “If those drums are going to play here every night then the team will never get to sleep.” The 24-year-old had borrowed nearly US$8,000 (S$11,000) from her parents to make the World Cup trip to Qatar.

The wait into the night became interminable for some who left before the Argentina bus sped past about 100m from where Messi’s adoring fans were kept behind a wire fence.

“We wanted to see Leo, it’s a shame,” said Diego Cordovez, whose voice was hoarse from hours of singing. “But he needs rest, that’s more important.”

Messi won a Copa America title in 2021 but the Qatar tournament is probably his last chance to emulate Diego Maradona in leading his country to World Cup glory.

“We have a very nice group that is very eager, but we think about going little by little. We know that World Cup groups are not easy,” he said in an interview with Conmebol, the South American football federation.

Four-time winners Germany also arrived on Thursday, aiming to erase the nightmare of 2018 when they crashed out in the group stage, while defending champions France arrived in Doha a day earlier. AFP, REUTERS