Latin American Issues: Kirchner’s Disconnect

The day after losing to Germany by one goal with only seven minutes left to play in the second overtime period in the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Argentina’s selección returned home greeted by throngs of enthusiastic supporters and were heralded by Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as “veritable lions” on the pitch who demonstrated “dignity, pride, and capability.”¹ However, standing between head coach Alejandro Sabella and one of the greatest players the game of soccer has ever seen, Lionel Messi, Fernández de Kircher admitted that she is not a fan of the sport and that she did not watch a single match, not even the final. Sarah Marsh of Reuters reports that this series of gaffes reinforces speculation that the Argentine president is disconnected from the national culture.² While much of the media continues to obsess over the World Cup – 48 hours after it ended, El Clarín’s main page was almost exclusively devoted to the international competition,³ La Nación featured a photo of the team’s return,⁴ and the Diario Popular covered its entire front page with a giant image of the arrival⁵ – the President rambled in seemingly unprepared remarks, apparently trying to make up for being so disinterested in the national passion. To make matters worse, several of the president’s comments, such as a reference to a player who was escorted from the pitch in the final due to a blow to the head, made it clear that Fernández de Kirchner had been briefed on the key points of the match. This makes her slight of the team all the more remarkable and, for some, bewildering.