the tragic balance sheet of the celebrations for the World Cup in Argentina – Corriere.it

An endless and tragic party. The World Cup won by Argentina in Qatar — the third in the history of the albiceleste — brought delirium to the streets of Buenos Aires. Four days have passed since the final, which was decided on penalties after a breathtaking 3-3 draw, and nobody intends to stop.

Five million people have poured into the streets of the capital, the authorities say. You hear chants at all hours: already at 8 in the morning dozens of people wearing the number ten shirt of Messi they jump praising their heroes.

The ritual tour of the open bus has been cancelled. It was impossible to reach theObeliskin the plaza de la Repblica, between avenide Corrientes and 9 de Julio, is the monument erected in 1936 to celebrate the fourth centenary of the founding of the city.

Players had to embark on hastily prepared helicopters for a symbolic greeting from above. There were fans gliding from the decks on the coach to embrace the Select, putting the safety of everyone, fans and players at risk. A fan, after having thrown himself from above, slipped dramatically on the asphalt.

The proof of this mass delirium is contained in one of the many videos circulating on the net and on social media: we see a fan being taken away on a stretcher, with a showy bandage on his head and perhaps a fractured arm, who continues to rotate the other arm , almost in ecstasy.

The party stops at nothing. Some have climbed to the top of the Obelisk: we are over 60 meters high. It didn’t take long before violence began to overshadow the celebrations.

TO Bahia Blanca, a city 400 kilometers from Buenos Aires, the celebrations ended in tragedy: a 22-year-old boy died strangled by the flag around his neck and got stuck in the wheel of his motorbike. Another fan died after falling off a roof. A five-year-old boy in a coma.

A group of fans who had been waiting hours for the parade of players clashed with police, in riot gear, after learning that they would only see Messi and his companions from above.

The world champions are flying over the entire route by helicopter because it was impossible to continue by land due to the explosion of happiness of the people, Gabriela Cerruti, spokeswoman for President Alberto Fernndez, wrote on social media — opposition representatives criticized her decision to call one National holiday just for the victory of the World Cup.

Police in the Argentine capital reported about 15 incidents of robberies or looting — other videos show a line of cars with their wheels taken away. Again in the Obelisk area, whose entry was forced by some fans, the agents intervened to appease the unrest: the provisional balance of 14 prisoners and 21 wounded.

Outside the monument they erupted clashes between the police and fans with bottles, stones and rubber bullets. The riots also spread to other public buildings, such as banks: a group of people broke into a branch and stole a printer.

According to what was reconstructed by the Argentine newspaper La Nacin, the damage is unimaginable. The first problems occurred on Tuesday evening, well before the arrival of the national team at the Buenos Aires airport, late at night, when the fans broke through the fences defending the Obelisk.