Argentina without Messi: 2-1 defeat against Uruguay and a sharp drop in the number of fans in La Bombonera

The start of the new stage of the Argentine National Team without Lionel Messi had an unexpected scenario at La Bombonera. During the friendly match against Uruguay, the Boca stadium showed many empty sectors and received approximately 25,000 spectators, a figure that represented about 40% of

its capacity.

The low demand forced the organizers to close different stands and concentrate the public in certain sectors. The third ring remained closed, except for the elbow intended for Uruguayan supporters. The two lower trays of the South headboard and part of the stalls located above the press desks were also left unenabled

.

The absence of Messi and the impact on the call

One of the factors that explain the low attendance is related to the retirement of Lionel Messi from the National Team. The farewell of the Argentine star changed the appeal that the team had generated in recent years and revealed a possible drop in public interest

.

The trend had already shown some signs during the previous FIFA window, in the match against Burkina Faso. Without the presence of the historic number 10, the national team had difficulty attracting the number of spectators it used to gather

.

Expensive tickets and difficulties in obtaining them The

price of tickets would also have influenced the low turnout. The popular ones were worth 95,000 pesos, while the stalls started at 140,000 pesos and reached 290,000 pesos in the preferred locations

.

These amounts represented a high expense for many of the fans who usually accompany the national team.

Added to that was an inconvenience related to the distribution of tickets. On this occasion, a digital system was not enabled and tickets had to be collected exclusively in person at the windows of

the Huracán stadium.

The procedure may have discouraged those who had to travel from different parts of the Buenos Aires suburbs or from the interior of the country to get their locations.

The North headboard, the sector that provided the color In the

middle of a gas tank with large empty spaces, the North headboard was the main exception. The sector usually occupied by the local fans was complete and provided the atmosphere of the night with large flags dedicated to Diego Maradona and

Lionel Messi.