Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Argentina President Javier Milei has said he won’t go to the World Cup final because of superstition. Adding that he will also be wearing the same heavy jacket.
He will watch the big match between Spain and Argentina from home — where he has watched the defending champion’s previous seven games.
In Latin America, and particularly in Argentina, so-called “cábalas,” or ritualistic beliefs and habits, carry unusual weight, reflecting the intensity with which many here watch their national team.
When asked on Thursday whether he’d travel to New Jersey for Sunday’s game to watch alongside his close ally U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, as was widely expected, Milei replied, “No way.”
“I’m going to keep watching all the games from Olivos,” he told a local Buenos Aires radio station, El Observador, referring to his presidential residence.
The journalist asked if he’s staying home for superstitious reasons. Milei said yes, going on to explain another of his rituals: “Since it’s cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. The day of the Switzerland game, it made me really hot. I took it off, and they scored a goal against us. I put it back on and never took it off again.”
Argentina President Javier Milei (AP)
Like Milei, most Argentines have cábalas that require they stick to the exact same routine if the team is winning. Some wear the same clothes during every match, refusing to wash their jerseys for the duration of the World Cup. Some watch each game in the same spot — or are not allowed to watch at all, as can be the case with those who happen to be in the bathroom when Argentina scores.
The smallest actions take on extraordinary meaning. In one widely shared video from this World Cup, a group of fans began reading from the Bible just as Argentina started scoring against Egypt, obliging them to repeat the ritual at every match since. One common ritual to impact the rival team involves freezing figurines of players or pieces of paper with opponents’ names on them.
Argentine presidents have long been cautious about attending high-stakes World Cup matches to avoid bringing bad luck to their teams. The superstition dates back to the 1990 tournament, when then-President Carlos Menem visited the Argentine squad right before it suffered a stunning opening loss to Cameroon.
Menem was branded a “mufa,” a jinx. No sitting Argentine president is known to have attended a national team match since.
