Argentina's World Cup dream ends in failure, fans also 'burden'... New York left as a 'garbage dump' after 10,000 supporters

*This content was translated by AI.

As Argentina failed to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, some irresponsible actions by Argentine fans drew frowns.

Ecuadorian media Ecuavisa reported on the 20th (Korea time) that a large-scale support event featuring numerous Argentine fans was held in New York's "hanbok area." However, police intervened, one person was arrested, and the event ended with streets littered with trash.

According to reports, about 10,000 Argentine fans gathered at New York's Times Square on the eve of the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain to hold a traditional pre-match support event known as "banderazo."

Banderazo is an expression derived from the Spanish word "bandera," meaning flag. It is a pre-match culture where fans wave national flags and sing anthems ahead of important matches, praying for their national team's victory.

On this day, Argentine fans who filled Times Square waved blue-and-white flags, sending passionate support to their national team.

The problem arose after the event ended. Bottles, paper, and various types of trash were left behind where the fans had gathered, and piles of garbage accumulated throughout the streets.

Police were dispatched as well. The New York Police Department began installing barricades after midnight to disperse the fans. During this process, one Argentine fan was arrested by police.

Ecuavisa highlighted that a video showing an Argentine fan being arrested by New York police during the event spread via social media.

It continued, "Barricades set up by police remain in downtown New York. Police began dispersing fans from midnight on Sunday," and explained that "videos released on social media also showed trash piled up like mountains left behind by fans."

Contrary to fans' expectations, the Argentine national team failed to win the World Cup. Argentina lost 0-1 to Spain in a tense extra-time match at the New York-New Jersey Stadium in the tournament final. Despite maintaining a tight contest, they bowed their heads after conceding a decisive goal from Ferran Torres (Barcelona) in the second half of extra time.

As a result, Argentina failed to win back-to-back World Cups. Challenging for the top spot once again following the 2022 Qatar tournament, they could not overcome the final hurdle.

After the national team missed out on the championship trophy, some fans also invited criticism with their irresponsible cleanup. Argentine broadcaster Radio La Red also released videos showing bottles, paper, and various types of trash scattered throughout the streets, along with the caption "This is how Times Square looked after street support." It appears to have critically highlighted the behavior of its own country's fans.

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*This content was translated by AI.