Argentine President Javier Miley said on Thursday that he would not attend the World Cup final due to superstition, instead choosing to watch Sunday’s match between Spain and Argentina from home – where he has watched the defending champions’ previous seven matches, all victories, in the tournament.
Miley added that in a bid to help his country’s beloved football team secure its second successive title, he will be wearing the same heavy jacket as well.
Fans and players around the world cling to superstitions that they believe can bring good luck to their team – or bad luck to their opponents.
But in Latin America, especially in Argentina, what is called “Kabbalah” or ritual beliefs and customs carries an unusual weight, which reflects the intensity with which many here follow their national team.
When asked on Thursday whether he would travel to New Jersey for Sunday’s match to watch alongside his close ally US President Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, as was widely expected, Miley replied: “No way.”
“I will continue to watch all the matches from Olivos,” he told a local radio station in Buenos Aires, El Observador, referring to his presidential residence.
The journalist asked if he was staying in the house for superstitious reasons. Miley said yes, and went on to explain another ritual: “Since it’s cold and I don’t turn the heat on, I wear an oil company branded jacket.
“On the day of the Switzerland game, I felt really excited. I took the shoes off, and they scored a goal against us. I put them back on and never took them off again.”
Like Miley, most Argentines have a cabala that requires them to adhere to the exact same routine if the team is winning.
Some wear the same clothes during every match, and refuse to wash their shirts throughout the World Cup. Some watch every match in the same place, or are not allowed to watch at all, as is the case with those who are in the bathroom when Argentina scores a goal.
The smallest verbs take on an unusual meaning. In one widely circulated video from the current World Cup, a group of fans began reading from the Bible when Argentina began scoring against Egypt, forcing them to repeat the ritual in every match since.
A common ritual to influence the opposing team involves freezing statues of players or pieces of paper with the opponents’ names on them.
Argentine presidents have always been cautious about attending high-stakes World Cup matches to avoid bringing bad luck to their teams.
This myth dates back to the 1990 tournament, when then-president Carlos Menem visited the Argentine national team before it suffered a stunning loss in the opening match against Cameroon.
Menem has been described as a “mofa”, a jinx. No Argentine president has been known to have attended a national team match since then.