Traffic Light Theft, Bank Robbery: World Cup Celebrations Do ‘Unimaginable’ Damage to Buenos Aires

Riot police stand guard after clashes with fans of Argentina following the celebration of
LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images
Frances Martel

World Cup celebrations in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday attracted millions of people and left “unimaginable” damage in their wake, government officials said – including the destruction of several city landmarks, theft and vandalism that left several streets without traffic lights, and a bank robbery caught on live TV.

Argentina’s soccer team won the FIFA World Cup, hosted by Islamist dictatorship Qatar this year, on Sunday, defeating France after penalty kicks. The victory was a coronation for Lionel Messi, long considered the world’s greatest active player but lacking a World Cup victory, the sport’s highest honor, after four failed attempts in past tournaments.

Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez set the tone for festivities, making a sexual gesture with his Golden Glove trophy in front of Qatari officials after the victory on Sunday. Five million people, according to Argentine officials, joined the team on Tuesday – with many engaging in bizarre and dangerous acts such as parading around the city naked, stealing traffic lights, climbing atop national landmarks, and, in two cases, jumping off a bridge to get to the bus carrying the national team.

The Argentine government, according to newspaper La Nación, said the 5 million estimate – a little more than ten percent of the population of the country – was the largest number of people ever recorded attending a single event in the history of Argentina. An assembly in the United States attracting the same proportion of the national population would have to attract between 35 and 40 million people.

As of Wednesday morning, the festivities resulted in 31 injured people, 16 of them hospitalized. Most of the injured, the Argentine newspaper of record Clarín reported, suffered traumatic injuries from falls or were hurt in clashes with police and other fans. Police arrested 14 people as of the end of the day Tuesday, and 24 police officers have documented injuries.

The government’s original plan was to have the national team paraded through the city on a double-decker bus. That plan resulted in fans flooding major highways in the capital, seeking a look at the players, and was canceled after two men jumped off an overpass in an attempt to get on the players’ bus.

One man landed in the middle of the soccer team; the other fell off the overpass onto the ground. His current status is unknown, but authorities have not reported any deaths related to the celebrations as of press time.

The soccer team proceeded to greet the fans instead via helicopter to avoid any further attempts to touch them. This did not appear to inspire any fans to return home, as many celebrated in the heart of the city in bizarre ways. One woman showed up in the center of Buenos Aires entirely naked save for a pair of sunglasses and greeted the crowd.

Warning – Graphic Video:

Cameras caught one man stealing a traffic light, apparently dragging it home.

In another strange video, cameras caught a man on an ambulance cot continuing to cheer and celebrate while strapped down. The man who jumped onto the national team’s bus can be seen hanging on the overpass in the background.

The Obelisk, Buenos Aires’ signature landmark, became the subject of a violent attack as fans banged on the welded-shut gate until destroying it to get in. Crowds covered the entirety of its base with graffiti — the little of which was legible appeared to read “Messi” and the names of other players.

“We welded that door after what happened on Sunday [a break-in following the World Cup victory] and they broke it again,” a government source lamented to La Nación.

At least one man climbed onto the top of the Obelisk and opened a door on its pyramid.

Police attempts to remove the man atop the Obelisk were met with drunken fans throwing bottles and other projectiles at officers, as did attempts to remove the graffiti vandals and others at the monument’s base. Police ultimately restored order by dawn on Wednesday, but government officials say the monument suffered substantial damage.

Other individuals took advantage of the chaotic situation to engage in criminal acts with no apparent relation to soccer. The Argentine network Telefe, covering the celebrations live, documented a bank robbery as it occurred on Tuesday night. The thieves appeared to successfully carve a hole into the metal gates covering the doors of the bank and haul out bags into a van. Law enforcement authorities told Clarín that some of the perpetrators have been arrested, but the newspaper did not offer further details.

Government sources did not give an estimate of the total cost of the damage in speaking anonymously to La Nación, but described the destruction as “unimaginable” and the amount of sheer garbage on the streets as “abysmal.” One of the top priorities for authorities, according to the newspaper, is the replacement and repair of traffic lights.

“A large number of lights don’t have cables anymore and traffic lights are broken. These are items that affect the day-to-day life of Buenos Aires residents,” a source highlighted.

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