Crisis on hold for 90 minutes

June 7, 2002

While Marcelo Bielsa may exude cautious optimism ahead of the crunch match with England on Friday, the Argentine public are confidently expecting a victory.

Lourdes Heredia, the BBC's correspondent in Buenos Aires, says that the widespread prediction is for a 2-0 win and most people are paying little attention to the war of words that has been played out in Japan.

"Hand of God Breakfasts, 6 pesos," reads a sign in a Buenos Aires coffee shop, reflecting how the 1986 encounter in Mexico has scarcely been forgotten.

"I will never forget that game. It was like a homage to the soldiers who died in the Falklands," a 30-year-old fan named Mario says.

"But I don't want to talk about war now. That's the past. I'm sure we are going to win."

If the war is in the past, Argentina's economic crisis is very much part of the present.

Few people think the World Cup can lessen the crisis in the same way that the 1978 tournament sought to soften the problems associated with the military government in many minds.

"We all plan to celebrate our team's triumphs, but we are not going to forget our daily problems," political analyst Manuel Mora y Araujo said. "The cup will not silence the public."

Many advertisements are attempting to hitch a lift on the wave of football mania inevitably sweeping the country, but the people will not be fooled.

"Banco Nacion says we all have to be together during the World Cup, but they should give us our money back first," a drinker in a Buenos Aires bar observes.

BBC Sport Online