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Argentina bus parade abandoned due to security concerns after fan jumps on team bus

Argentina returned home after beating France in Sunday's World Cup final; Lionel Messi and his team won on penalties after an enthralling 3-3 draw; Argentina had been on a bus parade in Buenos Aires, but transferred to helicopters after fans attempted to jump onto the bus from an overpass

Wednesday 21 December 2022 12:04, UK

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The Argentinian FA has confirmed the players bus tour of Buenos Aires has been abandoned due to security concerns, with the squad instead taking helicopters along the parade route.

The World Cup-winning players were evacuated from the open-top bus as the tour was progressing after a fan jumped onto the vehicle as it drove under a bridge.

The AFA said: "The players of the Argentine soccer team ended the festivities by flying over in a helicopter over the crowd of fans who gathered in the city.

"They made that decision after verifying that they could not continue advancing by bus in the middle of the crowd."

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The AFA president Claudio Tapia lamented the way the tour ended because they were unable to greet all the fans in the way it had been organised.

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"They don't let us get to greet all the people who were at the Obelisk, the same security agencies that escorted us don't allow us to move forward," he said.

📸 Postales de una noche inolvidable 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Zmd78w2Xqc — 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) December 20, 2022

"A thousand apologies on behalf of all the champion players. A shame."

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The players were unable to reach the central Obelisco monument as planned because of the crowd size, estimated by local media at four million people.

"The world champions are flying over the entire route in helicopters because it became impossible to continue on land due to the explosion of popular joy," presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti wrote on Twitter.

"Let's continue to celebrate in peace and show them our love and admiration!"

Los Campeones del Mundo están sobrevolando todo el recorrido en helicópteros porque se hizo imposible seguir por tierra ante la explosión de alegría popular. Sigamos celebrando en paz y mostrándoles nuestro amor y admiración! — Gabriela Cerruti (@gabicerru) December 20, 2022

The team had arrived in the early hours of Tuesday at Ezeiza Airport where, despite it being around 3am (6am GMT), thousands were waiting with banners, flags and flares to welcome home their heroes.

By around midday, millions had already congregated in downtown Buenos Aires, with major roads closed for the parade. People held up banners of Lionel Messi and late icon Diego Maradona, played instruments or climbed lampposts or bus stops.

The Argentine capital has been in party mode since the dramatic victory over France in Sunday's final in Qatar , which has helped mask economic woes in the South American nation battling one of the world's highest inflation rates.

The victory made the country world champions for the first time since Maradona lifted the trophy in 1986 and the third in total.

The government made Tuesday a national holiday to allow fans to celebrate the win.

How Argentina's celebrations have unfolded so far...

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Why Argentina's World Cup open-top bus celebration in Buenos Aires had to be abandoned

Argentina's world cup open-top bus celebration had to be abandoned in the country's capital of buenos aires due to security concerns.

• 20:24, 20 DEC 2022

Argentina's World Cup-winning bus parade in Buenos Aires has been abandoned due to security concerns. Lionel Messi guided his nation to a famous triumph in Qatar in one of the competition's greatest finals against France, but their celebrations with fans had to be cut short.

A crazy 3-3 draw in 120 minutes against the French saw the game go to penalties, with Gonzalo Montiel converting the decisive penalty to crown Argentina as the new world champions.

Messi had earlier calmly slotted his penalty home in the shoot-out and it was from 12 yards that he gave Argentina the lead after Angel Di Maria was felled by Ousmane Dembele. Di Maria then doubled his nation's lead in the 36th minute converting Alexis Mac Allister's pass.

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Kylian Mbappe then stole the limelight with two goals in two minutes to drag France level and force extra-time. Messi snatched the spotlight back though with a 108th-minute goal but the contest was not decided yet, with Mbappe scoring a penalty with two minutes to complete his hat-trick and take the game into extra-time.

Emiliano Martinez was the hero on penalties, saving Kingsley Coman's spot kick before winning the mental battle with Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni who fired his effort wide before Montiel sealed the win with a 4-2 penalty victory.

With Messi now securing the one trophy that has alluded him his entire career, many have labelled him as the greatest footballer of all time in the midst of his battle with Cristiano Ronaldo to be considered the best.

Following the dramatic final victory, the scenes in Buenos Aires were of glee and joy as thousands of fans flocked together in celebration. Those supporters were set to be greeted by their World Cup heroes on Tuesday for an open-top bus celebration.

However, supporters in the Argentine capital forced proceedings to end sooner than anticipated due to safety concerns amid crowd congestion and reports a fan jumped onto the bus from an overhanging bridge.

The players were evacuated via a helicopter and instead embarked on their celebration tour from the sky. It is unlikely that this incident will cause too much distress in the country given they are world champions, and with the huge amount of people in attendance, it appears it was the correct decision to cancel the bus tour and opt for something safer.

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Argentina's World Cup celebrations descend into chaos in Buenos Aires as fans clash with police

Football journalist Tim Vickery told Sky News there were people trying to jump from bridges onto the bus carrying Argentina's national team as millions gathered in the capital.

News reporter @TomGillespie1

Wednesday 21 December 2022 11:40, UK

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An open-air bus parade for Argentina's World Cup heroes had to be called off as the celebrations descended into chaos.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi and his fellow teammates instead boarded helicopters for a flyover of the capital Buenos Aires, which the government billed as an aerial parade.

Some fans who had been waiting hours for the parade later clashed with riot police as violence threatened to overshadow the event.

"The world champions are flying over the whole route on helicopters because it was impossible to continue by land due to the explosion of people's happiness," Gabriela Cerruti, a spokesperson for President Alberto Fernandez wrote on social media.

The players were unable to reach the central Obelisk monument in Buenos Aires as planned because of the crowd size, estimated at four million people by local media citing police sources.

The bus had been moving slowly for more than four hours before the parade was cancelled.

The Argentine president had declared a national holiday on Tuesday so the country could celebrate the World Cup victory.

Football journalist Tim Vickery told Sky News "millions" had lined the streets of the capital and he was "thinking it could go disastrously wrong" before the parade cancelled.

"As the team bus was passing under bridges, there were people from those bridges trying to jump onto the bus.

"The bus just couldn't make progress, there were too many people, so in the end they were forced to take the decision to abandon the bus route," Vickery said.

He added: "It seems it was the safest option because it really was looking all too much."

Celebrating fans took over highways, avenues and the access routes into the capital as temperatures climbed to 30C.

Thousands had set up camp since early Tuesday morning at the Obelisk which is the traditional site of celebrations.

After flying over key points of Buenos Aires where fans had gathered, the helicopters carrying the players returned to the headquarters of the Argentine Football Association (FA) outside the capital.

The association's president Claudio Tapia blamed law enforcement for the change in plans.

"They don't let us get to greet all the people who were at the Obelisk, the same security agencies that escorted us don't allow us to move forward," he said.

"A thousand apologies on behalf of all the champion players. A shame."

Messi and the rest of the players had waved at the crowds from the bus as they carried the World Cup trophy aloft after securing Argentina's third World Cup trophy, and the country's first since 1986 when football icon Diego Maradona lifted the trophy.

"This is madness, it's indescribable," said Brian Andreassi, 23, as he walked downtown wearing the team's jersey. "There are no words."

"There's an immense union among all Argentines - unity, happiness. It's as if you can breathe another air, there's another energy in the air," said Victoria Roldán. "My body and heart are about to burst."

Read more: Argentina team return home to ecstatic welcome In pictures: Argentina celebrates as Messi joins Maradona in bringing home World Cup

The team had arrived in Argentina in the early hours of Tuesday at Ezeiza Airport where, despite it being around 3am (6am GMT), thousands were waiting with banners, flags and flares, to welcome home their heroes.

By around midday, millions had already congregated in downtown Buenos Aires, with major roads shut down for the parade.

People held up banners of Messi and late icon Maradona, played instruments or climbed lampposts or bus stops.

The Argentine capital has been in party mode since the dramatic victory over France in Sunday's final in Qatar, which has helped mask economic woes in the South American nation battling one of the world's highest inflation rates.

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