Sea of fans flood streets of Buenos Aires to try to catch glimpse of Argentina football team
- Captain Lionel Messi and the team waved at fans from a bus as they carried the World Cup trophy aloft after securing the country’s third title in Qatar on Sunday
- President Alberto Fernández declared a national holiday on Tuesday so the country could celebrate the Fifa World Cup victory
Argentina’s World Cup winners were forced to abandon their open-top bus parade around Buenos Aires due to the massive crowds and have instead embarked on a helicopter tour of the capital, the presidency said on Tuesday.
“The World Champions are flying over the parade route in helicopters because it was impossible to continue on the ground due to the explosion of popular joy,” presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti said on Twitter.
The bus had been crawling along the planned 30-km route towards the centre of the capital due to the huge numbers of Argentines who had lined the streets to celebrate their victory over France in the World Cup final.
Millions of people had been gathering around various parade points in the capital since dawn in a bid to see their heroes in the flesh.
The largest congregation was at the iconic Obelisk monument in the centre of Buenos Aires that has for decades been the epicentre of sporting celebrations.
02:08
Street celebrations after Argentina beats France to lift third World Cup
Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), blamed police for the decision to abandon the planned bus tour.
“They are not allowing us to go and greet all the people at the Obelisk,” said Tapia on Twitter.
