World Cup: Anxiously Awaiting Argentina

Argentina hopes to play more than one game at Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium.

With only 79 days remaining until the start of World Cup 2010, it seems confidence runneth over among fans of the Selección Argentina.

So far Argentine fans have purchased more match tickets than fans from any other Latin American country, even fierce rival and overall favorite, Brazil. This is quite an emotional turnaround considering the doom and gloom surrounding the club only five months ago when they were on the brink of elimination.

According to La Nación, the 25,188 tickets purchased online from Argentina are more than Brazil (18,179), Chile (18,050), Paraguay (8,863) or Uruguay (4,739). Some of the local confidence may stem from headlines in Argentina trumpeting the recent European goal-scoring binges by Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuaín. Last Saturday both players scored 3 goals apiece in the Spanish League, and Messi is being referred to as “Dios del Futból” by several media outlets .

Off the field, confidence bordering on arrogance was evident when the always-subdued Coach Diego Maradona’s list of remodeling demands for the player’s rooms in Pretoria was made public: Jacuzzis in every bathroom, new LCD televisions, fresh paint and a “perfect” practice field.

When asked how the renovations were proceeding, Pretoria General Manager Colin Stlier said, “The work is almost finished, and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the great stars from Argentina…although I actually believe it will be easier to keep Messi happy than Maradona.”