Argentine football against Javier Milei

These are intense days in Argentina. Today is being called the most unpredictable presidential election in the last 40 years of the country’s history. In La Casa Rosada, Peronist Sergio Massa and right-wing extremist Javier Milei strive for perfect bipolarism. After complicated years, the country is finally at a turning point, in which Argentina faced a very serious economic and financial crisis, resulting in three defaults in the last 20 years. For this reason, the political programs presented are rich and delicate.

Sport is certainly not one of the main concerns of the two candidates, but Javier Milei showed himself by presenting revolutionary ideas for the balance of Argentine football. The latter would propose converting the clubs into stock companies, an issue that, as you can imagine, has inflamed the industry to such an extent that affiliates of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) have openly taken sides against the libertarian candidate. Virtually everyone among the players opted for silence.

“Although this is a minor issue compared to the more disturbing points of Milei’s campaign, such as the denial of the dictatorship’s state terrorism, the regulation of the arms and organs market, the dollarization of the economy or the break with the Vatican and the government “In the Chinese and Brazilian economies have been buoyed by the announcement of a drastic change in the structure of professional football clubs,” writes the Argentine edition of Pais. If Milei becomes president today, he expects to encourage the creation of joint stock companies for sports institutions, a model of private capital that is banned by law in Argentina The associations have been operating as non-profit civil societies for more than 100 years and are led by leaders elected by the vote of their members.

“I like the English model, joint stock companies, listed clubs,” Milei explained in October 2022, when his political force, La Libertad Avanza, seemed far from the presidency. “Boca could be bought by Arab capital or River by French capital. What the hell do you care who owns it? [il club] What if you beat River 5-0 and become world champion? Or would you rather continue in this misery, in this bad football? “What do we do every time we leave Argentina?” he explained.

Milei insisted on the privatization model just this week. “Why restrict the possibility of establishing associations that are joint stock companies? What if someone wanted their club to be like Manchester City? What is the problem? “What impact will it have on other institutions?” the Libertarian candidate repeated again and again in the hours before the second round. However, apparently in line with the attempt at moderation shown in recent weeks after the environmental mobilization against his most extreme proposals, he clarified: “Associations can.” [anche] Continue as before, no problems. But can there only be one corporate structure?”