MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine fans support Bangladeshi cricket squad

The news of the creation of the group went viral on social media and Argentine fans keep joining the webpage “at a rapid pace.”

A group of Argentine football fans has launched a Facebook initiative to root for Bangladesh's cricket team in recognition of the Asian country's devotion to the South American squad participating in the Qatar 2002 football World Cup, and particularly for Lionel Messi and the late Diego Maradona.

Videos have gone viral on social media with Bangladeshis celebrating after each victory in Qatar. According to The Daily Star, “now Argentines want to support the Bangladesh cricket team to connect with Bangladeshis.”

The webpage “Argentine fans of the Bangladesh cricket team” page was created by user Dan Lande. The site in a few days surpassed 50,000 subscribers. “The idea of the group was to give a little love back to Bangladesh, and share some World Cup stuff. Cheer together,” wrote its moderator. The initiative prompted a quick response from Bangladeshi users.

“The support for the Argentine national soccer team in Bangladesh has caught everyone's attention this World Cup. The Argentines noticed it and decided to do something for the Bangladeshi fans in return,” wrote journalist Tamjidul Hoque, a self-professed Argentina fan.

In his article, he recounted that “after a suggestion from a fellow Argentinian on Instagram, Dan Lande from Buenos Aires decided to open an Argentine fan group for the Bangladesh national cricket team.”

The news of the creation of the group went viral on social media and Argentine fans keep joining the webpage “at a rapid pace.”

Hoque admitted that “people in Argentina hardly know anything about cricket” but “that didn't stop them from forming this group of fans. They have been found asking where and how they can learn about cricket. The Bangladeshis in the group share tutorials and videos and use Google Translate to answer their questions in Spanish. This cooperation between Bangladeshis and Argentines created a very healthy atmosphere in the group,” he said.

But that's not all, “The Argentines also talk about Bangladesh's performance, share pictures, statistics, and news about Bangladesh cricket despite having very little knowledge about all these things. They also ask where they can find Bangladesh flag and jerseys,” Hoque wrote.

“Despite the distance between the two countries, the language barrier, and the lack of knowledge about cricket or Bangladesh, the Argentines are stepping up and are willing to bond with the people of Bangladesh through cricket. Their effort to communicate their appreciation for Bangladesh despite these obstacles is truly commendable and shows how friendly they are,” he added.