Argentinian football authorities deny any ties, but the presence in South Africa of known hooligans of the country’s clubs has led to questions on who is financing their trips.
“There is no tie to speak of, and we did not pay any airplane tickets for anybody,” Argentina spo-kesman Andres Ventura insisted.
Close to 30 hooligans of various teams travelled to South Africa on Friday in the same plane as Argentina’s national team.
“I never had anything to do with them. It would be very stupid to send them in the same flight as the national team,” argued Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Julio Grondona, who is also an influential vice president of Fifa.
The AFA argues that it was all a coincidence: Argentina cancelled a planned charter flight to South Africa and travelled in a regular flight instead.
Beyond those 30 or so hooligans who travelled with the team, others travelled over the weekend.
A further 250 who belong to the organisation United Argentine Fans (HUA), led by ruling-party political activist Marcelo Mallo, are expected to arrive in South Africa in the coming days.
According to Argentinian media reports, the group who travelled to South Africa with the national team have ties with team manager Carlos Bilardo and have been Argentina’s main supporters since Diego Maradona became coach in late 2008. “It’s a lie that we are financed by the government or by the AFA. We have a direct deal with Maradona and Bilardo,” Boca hooligan Ramon Ortiz was quoted as saying by the Argentinian Sports daily Ole on Tuesday.
But Maradona and Bilardo have both denied the allegations. “I have no relationship with any such character. If that guy says I brought him here, I swear I did not bring anyone,” Maradona said on Tuesday in Pretoria.
“I insist, I don’t even know who those people on the plane were,” Bilardo said, in comments that Ole published on Monday.
One of the group’s leaders, however, is Ariel Pugliese, alias The Worm, a former hooligan of the club Nueva Chicago who worked as a bodyguard for Lionel Messi while he stayed in Argentina. — DPA