MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas veterans frustrated: strict measures on “political messages” in the World Cup

Argentine fans have seen any reference to the Falklands/Malvinas dispute, confiscated at stadium gates, because they are described as a “political message”

Vladimir Putin despite all the sanctions imposed on his administration by foreign countries, is a much respected leader for his direct no-nonsense approach to issues, and he wants to make sure the World Cup hosted by Russia becomes an impeccable, unforgettable global event, in line with the grandness of his beloved two-continent country.

 And political dissent in Russia, unless manageable is in effect neutralized and this has been strictly applied to all manifestations with a political intention (passive or active) in World Cup stadiums.

No wonder then that this meticulous Putin approach has been criticized by the always extrovert noisy Argentines.

In effect Argentine supporters have seen any reference to the Falklands/Malvinas dispute, be it flags, images, contours of the islands, banners, T shirts, bonnets, whatever, confiscated at the stadium gates, because they are described as a “political message”. Furthermore apparently the items are never returned when the event is over.

Likewise a similar criteria applies to carrying national flags, which in Russian stadiums are limited in size to two meters long by 1.5 meters wide. Quite a difference from South American tradition, particularly in Argentina, where team flags once displayed can extend for tens of meters.

Although this is a practice which seems terminal since hiding from the cameras, under the extended flags a lot of petty crimes occur plus pushing drugs.

These “discriminatory” regulations have obviously surprised and caused certain indignation among fans, since they contradict Argentine soccer culture. But apparently this was not the last straw, according to reports in the Buenos Aires media.

A Malvinas veteran pretended access to the Argentina-Croatia match wearing a military jacket which in one of its upper sleeves had a crest with the background of the Falklands which read, “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”

It seems the Russian guards were fluent in Spanish because they warned the Veteran he could not access the stadium with such a jacket since it carried a “political message”. What is not clear is whether the Russians in effect returned the jacket after the match.