Why Argentina president Javier Milei is skipping the FIFA World Cup Final vs Spain? Major ‘superstition’ involved | Other Sports News

Deeply entrenched cultural superstitions, recognized domestically as cábalas, remain an integral component of Argentina’s football identity. Throughout a successful tournament campaign, supporters routinely replicate specific habits, which include dressing in identical garments, occupying the exact same seating arrangements, leaving team shirts unwashed, or maintaining complete stillness for the duration of a fixture.

This powerful cultural phenomenon is now keeping the country’s leader, Javier Milei, from traveling to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday, where the national team intends to pull off a historic title defense against Spain.

Adhering to Presidential Routines
During a conversation with a local radio station on Thursday, the 55-year-old head of state emphasized that there was “no way” he would swap his familiar surroundings at the official residence in Olivos for a VIP seat next to American leader Donald Trump and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino at the stadium.

“I’m going to keep watching all the games from Olivos,” Milei declared to El Observador.

This choice stems directly from a personal superstition that the president established while tracking the progress of Lionel Messi’s squad during their intense quarter-final match against Switzerland.

“Since it’s cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. The day of the Switzerland game, it made me really hot. I took it off, and they scored a goal against us. I put it back on and never took it off again,” Milei explained.

The Historical Context of the Presidential Jinx
Argentine heads of state have historically exercised extreme caution regarding their attendance at critical World Cup fixtures to avoid inadvertent misfortune. This political custom traces its roots back to the 1990 tournament in Italy. At the time, President Carlos Menem paid a visit to the locker room right before the squad dropped a shocking tournament opener to Cameroon.

Following that match, Menem was permanently labeled a “mufa,” the local term for a jinx. Consequently, no active president has traveled to watch the national team compete in person since that incident.

The current squad is attempting to become the first nation to retain the World Cup trophy since Brazil accomplished the feat 64 years ago. The team advanced to the final following a dramatic semi-final turnaround against England earlier in the week, overriding a one-goal deficit past the 85th minute. For Milei and the broader fanbase, these triumphs are viewed as victories aided by the unwavering execution of their unique cábalas.