Argentines flock to Qatar for chance to win the World Cup

By DEBORA REY
Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Argentine fans are making great sacrifices to be in Qatar to see their team try to win the World Cup for the first time in 36 years. Argentina is a soccer-crazed country known for its world-class players and its repeated economic crises. The fans are passionate and noisy and the euphoria in Doha has grown with each victory of Lionel Messi and his team ahead of Sunday’s final against defending champion France. Twenty-four-year-old Belen Godoy says “soccer for me is everything.” There are no official numbers on how many Argentine fans have traveled to Qatar. Thirty-four-year-old Cristian Machinelli says “I sold a Toyota truck for this.”