Fury in Naples for the World Cup in Argentina: how they prepare for the final in the land of Maradona

Bangladesh, India, Jamaica, Peru. Images of celebrations abroad for the victories of the Argentine national team have proliferated during this World Cup. Beyond those corners, there is a point on the planet where fanaticism for the Albiceleste has a special flavor: Naples. In the city where Diego Armando Maradona He lived his most brilliant years as a footballer: the final against France is expected on Sunday, which will be followed by Neapolitans and Argentines on giant screens that will be projected in various parts of the city.

After the spontaneous meetings of hundreds of fans to celebrate Argentina’s first victories in the Spanish Quarters of the Campania capital and that giant screens were placed there to follow the semi-final match against Croatiathe ritual will be repeated on Sunday on the initiative of the organization of Largo Maradona, the name by which the square in the highest part of via De Deo is known, where the most popular mural of the best footballer of all time is located.

That won’t be the only point where there will be a meeting to follow the match that will define the Inter star Qatar World Cupgiven that the Neapolitan city council, chaired by Gaetano Manfredi, has announced that a giant screen will be installed in the Castel dell’Ovo, the oldest castle in the city, in the seafront area.

A third has been added to those two meeting points: the Diego Armando Maradona stadium. The initiative was born from various groups of Argentines living in Italy and other European countries. “We had no doubts, it was a spontaneous choice: ‘Is there a World Cup Final? Let’s see him in Naples’. On Sunday, 1,000 people from all over Italy will arrive in the city. But also from abroad: Spain, Switzerland, Germany. All Argentines who are in contact with us will be in Naples.”Luciano Nario, one of the promoters, told the Neapolitan newspaper Il Mattino.

The original plan of the most enthusiastic was to have the stadium doors open to the club where Diego shone. Eventually they managed to get permission to install a six by three meter screen on the periphery of the building, next to curve B. There they will also set up seats, tables and a bar for the participants, who will have to pay 8 euros to access.

Before the game, the most fanatical Neapolitans and Argentines will meet in Piazza Dante, in the historic center of the city, to raise a flag. From there they will travel to the different meeting points to observe the meeting. And then, regardless of the result, they will converge on the Spanish Quarters to pay homage to Diego in Largo Maradona.

The accompaniment of the Neapolitans to the Argentine team was not surprising, especially in a World Cup that Italy didn’t play because they didn’t qualify. There was not the slightest doubt that five Napoli players participated in the tournament with other selected players: Pole Piotr Zielinski, Mexican Hirving Lozano, South Korean Kim Min-jae, Cameroonian André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Uruguayan Mathias Olivera . The trail left by Maradona is much stronger.

Furthermore, lovers of coincidences (which exist in all parts of the world) have recalled in these hours that the last time the Argentine national team won a World Cup was in June 1986, with Diego as banner in Mexico, and that 10 months later Napoli won its first Scudetto, also led by the star of Villa Fiorito. Today the blue team is first in Serie A, eight points ahead of Milan.