FIFA does not want more “trout” World Cup: it intimidated Argentina who made the perfect replica that Messi raised in the iconic photo of Qatar

THE world Cup it is so exclusive that the only ones who can touch it are those who win it. Others must – or should – wear gloves to avoid falling into a dangerous curse. The piece was chosen in 1970, when Brazil appropriated Jules Rimet for having won it three times, through a public competition which Fifa released to all artists on the planet.

Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga dazzled the jury who chose it from 52 other works. The original is made of solid gold and green malachite marble and is stored in a safety deposit box in Zurich.

According to Gazzaniga, a Milanese artist born in 1921 and died in 2016, the cup represents “the joy, jubilation and greatness of the athlete at the moment of victory: two stylized footballers who, happy, cheer the whole world”. What the champion federation takes is a replica that FIFA commissions from the Bertoni studio, a company that designs and manufactures cups, medals and trophies which UEFA and the International Olympic Committee also often use.

However, after a fantastic job, such a perfect copy appeared that Lionel Messi himself did not realize that the trophy with which he made the Olympic rounds at Lusail Stadium was a fake. It had come from the workshop of the Argentine artisan Eliana Pantano. He made what the Argentine captain raised and then added an endless list of requests. Among these are those that the AFA has commissioned to each of the champions and the technical staff. But this is history.

FIFA does not want replies

“I want to let you know that I have received an injunction from FIFA that compels me to stop doing the artisanal and passionate work that everyone knows, appreciates and appreciates. As soon as I have news, I will share it with you. For now I can only thank you for so much love and recognition, I promise you that I will continue to chisel, create and design works of art, because I am and will continue to be an artisan,” she wrote on her Instagram account.

It is not the first time that something of these characteristics has happened to Pantano. Conmebol has commissioned him some trophies to be delivered to their champions, not in replicas, but in originals. However, after selling the license to a Chilean company, the artist received an information letter from Paraguay asking her to refrain from making new trophies and to remove the ones she had already made from social networks.

His work is so good that the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) commissioned one for every champion and coaching staff member, which was officially handed over when Lionel Scaloni’s team returned to play in the country following the World Cup in Qatar . Chiqui Tapia has one, like many other leaders. The municipality of Lomas de Zamora, which also has his cup, exhibited it for several weeks in different squares in the neighborhood, where the artist also has his workshop.