Almost all the people wore clothes in the colors of the country’s flag
The Argentine government had to cancel the ceremonial tour of the country’s national team to win the World Cup, in the streets of the capital, Buenos Aires, by open bus, and replaced it with transporting the players by helicopter while the enthusiastic fans were celebrating in the streets of the city.
The players began displaying the championship trophy at the start of the bus tour, which was scheduled to last 8 hours.
But the celebrations in the crowded roads turned into a kind of chaos, forcing officials to rethink.
“It was impossible for the tour to continue on the ground, due to the unbridled celebrations,” Gabriela Ceruti, a spokeswoman for the Presidency of the Republic, said on her Twitter account.
Clips on social media showed fans jumping on the bus, climbing onto the roof, and carrying players, and some fans fell when the bus was passing under a bridge.
And the Argentine government declared Tuesday a public holiday, on the occasion of its victory over France in the World Cup final last Sunday.
According to local estimates, the number of fans who took to the streets to welcome the Argentine national team in the capital exceeded 4 million people.
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Hundreds of thousands turned out in the Plaza de la Repubblica, in Buenos Aires
With the arrival of the national team’s plane at the airport in the early hours of Tuesday, the players left the training headquarters of the National Football Association towards the heart of the capital, on a journey of about 33 km.
The tour was supposed to continue until the Obelisk statue, one of the capital’s landmarks, where hundreds of thousands of fans gathered in a festive atmosphere, waiting for the national team.
But the police refused to continue the tour to the Plaza de la Repubblica, where the statue is located, after the celebrations turned into chaos.
Czech Tapia, president of the Football Association, tweeted, “I apologize to you thousands of times on behalf of all the heroic players. What a shame.”
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A photo taken by national team player Enzo Fernandez of himself from inside the helicopter
And while most of the fans were wearing the white and blue shirts of the national team, the arena turned into something like the sea, waiting for the players to arrive.
There were several banners bearing pictures of the star Lionel Messi, and the late star Diego Maradona, captain of the national team that won the country’s last title in the 1986 World Cup, which took place in Mexico, and who is considered one of the best soccer players in history.
Once the procession started, hundreds of fans followed it, either running or using motorcycles, on its way to the heart of the city.
“It was crazy,” said Catillas Gomez, a 25-year-old fan. “It’s the best thing in life.”
“It’s an overwhelming happiness to see all these people high, partying together, hugging, embracing, we are all one today,” he added.
As for Messi, the Paris Saint-Germain player and captain who contributed greatly to winning the title, he was sitting quietly among a group of his colleagues on the roof of the bus.
Hours ago, the player had posted a picture on Instagram of him sleeping and embracing the World Cup.
And the country is still in a state of celebration since the end of the tournament, after a marathon match against France, so that the country won its third World Cup title, after 36 years.
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Argentina players celebrate on the roof of the bus
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But they had to complete the trip by helicopter because of the wild celebrations
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Some fans climbed the roof of the bus stations to wait for the national team bus
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Fans celebrated in various streets of the country