A small army of Queenstown-based Argentine football fans is getting set to give their beloved team an unfair advantage in its Fifa Women’s World Cup match against South Africa in Dunedin tomorrow.
Boca Juniors Official Fans New Zealand branch el presidente Francisco Pintado expects to lead more than 100 Basin-based fans to the Group G fixture at Dunedin Stadium.
‘‘We will make a big noise, hoping to take in instruments to the game, if not we will sing.
‘‘We can’t watch the game in silence, it’s not part of our life, you know?
‘‘We’re going to take a lot of flags … we’re trying to prove to NZ and to whole of the world cup that this is the way we feel about football.
‘‘We will be the 12th player for the Argentina team.’’
The 29-year-old Kiwi resident, from Buenos Aires, has been based in Queenstown for the past four-and-a-half years but is a fanatic supporter of his hometown’s famous Boca Junior football club.
Pintado launched its NZ fan chapter here three years ago.
He’s received ‘‘whatever we wanted’’ in support from the club, including help with social media to drive members, and as a result ‘‘it has snowballed’’.
And it’s not just travelling Argies joining the bandwagon.
‘‘We have people from Ireland, Kiwis, English people, it’s getting big.
“I’m quite excited about it.’’
Although they’re at peak fever pitch for the Women’s World Cup, the fan club supports any Argentine sporting cause, so they’ll also gather round a screen to watch the Pumas rugby team take on the Springboks in Johannesburg early on Sunday.
Unlike their world champion male counterparts, the Argentine women’s football team is still chasing an elusive first-ever win in a world cup and are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Italy in their tournament opener on Tuesday.
But, Pintado and his mates remain convinced their team’s only ever 90 minutes away from victory.
‘‘We are very competitive… we always think that we can beat anyone.’’
