How the passion was born in Bangladesh for the soccer teams of Argentina and Brazil

The host of the Bangladeshi news channel Somoy News decided to cover the evening news dressed in an unusual item of clothing: a jersey of the Bangladeshi soccer team. Argentina.

The image, recorded on Bangladeshi TV on Saturday, may seem strange, even to Argentines themselves who don’t often see their newscasters wearing the national team’s jersey on camera. But for the 168 million inhabitants of Bangladesh, a small Asian nation located more than 17,000 kilometers from Argentina, it has become a routine every time the albiceleste plays.

LOOK: Thailand’s Buddhist temple left empty after its monks tested positive for drugs

The reason? In Bangladesh there is a craze for Argentina and its men’s soccer team.

And it’s not just about the news presenter: when the team led by Lionel Messi plays in Qatar 2022 there are crowds of thousands of fans to watch the matches.

For the game against Mexico, which began at one in the morning and ended at three, millions of people filled the squares where there were giant screens broadcasting the game.

But it is not only Argentina. There are also fans who support the other giant of South American football, Brazil.

Lionel Messi is an idol in Bangladesh. (GETTY IMAGES).

And that has led to an “adopted” rivalry that has even caused riots. For example, in 2021, on the eve of the Copa América final between the two teams, there were some clashes between the fans of Brazilians and Argentines.

Fans of both teams clashed with fists in Brahmanbaria, 120 kilometers east of the capital, Dhaka. The police had to intervene.

And while cricket is Bangladesh’s main sport, this former British colony is transformed into a hotbed of soccer passion with each World Cup.

Where does the passion come from?

The madness for the Argentine team began in Bangladesh during the World Cup that was played in Mexico in 1986.

In that contest, many Bangladeshis were captivated by the performance of Diego Armando Maradonawho led his team to the title.

His most memorable match, that of the “hand of God” and the “goal of the century” against England in the quarter-finals, marked a generation.

Bangladesh fell in love with Argentina after Maradona’s performance against England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup. (GETTY IMAGES).

“The hand of God also generated a fierce debate here, although most chose to ignore it because the memory of the Malvinas (or Falklands) war was still alive in the minds of Bangladeshis,” says a column in the national newspaper. Dhaka Tribune.

This conflict faced England and Argentina in 1982. The victory of the albiceleste in 1986 was seen by many as a claim against British power.

A sentiment that was also shared in Bangladesh, which for almost 200 years, until 1947, was part of the former colonial India under British control.

Supporters of the Argentine national team in Bangladesh during the 2018 World Cup. (GETTY IMAGES).

Sown the passion for Argentina, it antagonized those who sympathized with Brazil, its greatest rival on the continent.

“As a ‘third world’ country, Bangladeshis connected very well with Latin American countrieswho had also suffered the same economic damage and exploitation by the West,” explains the article in Dhaka Tribune.

dangerous rivalry

If the predictions are correct and both Brazil and Argentina advance in Qatar 2022 they could meet in the semifinals.

And a confrontation between the two teams is a fear that the police have, who already had to take action during the 2021 Copa América final.

Argentina and Brazil often arouse excessive passions in Bangladesh. (GETTY IMAGES).

In that year it was determined that in some provinces of the country the game would not be broadcast on giant screens, in order to avoid crowds.

Because it is in those games where problems have arisen.

During the 2018 World Cup, a 12-year-old boy was electrocuted while placing a Brazilian flag on a street power line pole.

Another man and his son were seriously injured when supporters clashed in the central Bandar sub-district.

But the truth is that football is a party in this country thanks to this fervor: the millions of fans in Argentina and Brazil plant the flags of their favorite countries at home and parade through the streets with their jerseys.

And may the best man win, which will be celebrated not only in Latin America, but also in a corner of Asia.

Source: Elcomercio