Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, may not have attended the FIFA World Cup finals due to superstition, but that doesn’t mean he was away from the action. Just as the fans crowded and celebrated their team in Buenos Aires despite Argentina losing the finals, Milei also seemed to try to cheer up the fans a bit more. His tweet, though, landed very differently.
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“WORLD CELEBRATION. Given the concern about the celebrations for the achievement reached by the Argentine National Team, I inform the population that, depending on what the Players and the Technical Staff decide regarding the day to celebrate, it will be declared a national holiday,” President Milei shared via his personal X handle.
Milei’s announcement came just hours after Argentina’s final ended in chaos. Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute strike settled a scoreless match in extra time, and by then Argentina had already been reduced to ten men after Enzo Fernández’s red card. Leandro Paredes was also sent off after the final whistle for kicking out and shoving Spain’s players in a post-match scuffle. The loss marked the likely end of Lionel Messi’s international career at 39, closing out Argentina’s title defense after their 2022 win, while Spain secured their second World Cup and first since 2010.
Considering all that, the announcement seemed like a good way to rally spirits. However, it’s the precedent that confused the fans.
Technically, what’s expected is a bank holiday rather than a broader national holiday, following the same format Argentina used in 2022. But back then, Argentina actually won the World Cup, so the holiday gave fans a day off to greet the champions during their victory parade in Buenos Aires. That is why a holiday following a loss seemed a bit off to fans, and several openly wondered whether the President’s tweet had simply been written and scheduled for the other outcome and posted accidentally.
“I didn’t understand the message, and I think I’m not the only one,” one fan wrote, and several echoed the confusion.
Still, accidental or not, many others don’t seem to approve of the plan.
“Asks the national team if there’s a holiday? Doesn’t make sense,” one fan said.
“So tomorrow is a holiday? I didn’t understand,” another added, asking if the holiday would be tomorrow or not.
“Declare national mourning for having played such a s—– match,” one user remarked.
“Celebrating for coming in second. Those little idiots are historic,” one more reacted.
“The f—— PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA forgot to unschedule his victory tweet. There is NO celebration. ARGENTINA LOST LMFAO,” another added.
