Tapia: "Maradona should collaborate with the joint bid for the 2030 World Cup"
Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), stated today that he "would like" Diego Maradona to collaborate with the joint bid of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay for the 2030 World Cup, and affirmed that he will make "all the necessary arrangements" for that to happen.
"I have the possibility to speak more with Messi because he is with the national team, but all the necessary arrangements to make Diego accompany this dream are being made. Without a doubt, we would like him to collaborate. He is the last genius who contributed to winning a World Cup for our country," Tapia said.
"This World Cup is a dream for us, but also for the leaders who will succeed us in the coming years, due to the responsibility and commitment of carrying it forward. We have begun the path of a dream that another generation of leaders will enjoy," he added.
"This candidacy, on the sports side, was initiated by three presidents who were winners in South American football, and some in world football. These are countries that have a very strong commitment to management, and an important part of it is to promote the economy. It will generate jobs, and it will be possible to develop a comprehensive plan for tourism," he confessed.
"Argentina, due to its territory and infrastructure, and because Uruguay and Paraguay have given it the responsibility of having the greatest representativeness of stadiums, would host the most matches. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that professional teams are up to the circumstances and we can enjoy this World Cup," he said.
"In the global context, we have to show that South America is up to the circumstances and can celebrate a great and historic championship," he concluded.
Mac Allister: "We work for millions of Argentines, Uruguayans, and Paraguayans"
A delegation from the national government and the president of AFA arrived in Spain in the last few hours with the purpose of advancing the positioning of the joint bid of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay for the 2030 World Cup.
According to an official press release, representatives from the General Secretariat of the Presidency, the Secretary of Sports of the Nation, Carlos Mac Allister, the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Santos, the Argentine Ambassador in Spain, Ramón Puerta, and the General Coordinator of Strategic Communication of the Secretary of Sports of the Nation, Fernando Marín, are part of the delegation on behalf of the government.
The initiative called "2030 - 100 Together - Uruguay/Argentina/Paraguay" seeks to strengthen the application that the three countries submitted to FIFA to host the World Cup when the centenary of the first edition, held in Uruguay, is celebrated.
"We work for millions of Argentines, Uruguayans, and Paraguayans who are excited about this application," said Mac Allister.
He expressed this during a press conference held today at the headquarters of the Argentine Embassy in Madrid, where tomorrow the Argentine team will play a friendly match in preparation for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which will be held in June.
There, Minister Santos said that the reasons for the joint bid for the 2030 World Cup are "clear": "A cycle, a century, is coming to an end, and this is what motivated the three countries to offer themselves to the football world so that the centennial of the World Cups is celebrated where it all began," he said.
In this regard, he explained that the initiative to promote the tripartite application from Spain is because that country "is and will be the gateway that Latin America has in Europe to spread its word throughout the world."
He stressed that "the World Cup will allow tourism in the region to develop," and in that sense, he emphasized that "more than a sports challenge, there is an economic productivity development through sport in general and football in particular."
Mac Allister, for his part, said that "we work for millions of Argentines, Uruguayans, and Paraguayans who are excited about this application," and thanked the businessmen from the three countries who "are supporting so that the path is economically less significant for our countries."
Marín, in turn, stated that "we are going to work intensively" during the development of the 2018 Russia World Cup "to show the world that we have the possibility to host it" in twelve years.
"We not only have the strength of the century, of the 100 years since that World Cup in Montevideo, but we also have the artists who delight fans all over the world with their football, with their magic," Marín pointed out.
In this line, Ambassador Puerta highlighted that "we are not only proposing the venue for the 2030 World Cup, but a phenomenon that goes beyond football, which is sport and tourism."
"Football is an economic engine of unprecedented power, and that is why it is so representative of our countries. It will not only benefit Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, but the entire Mercosur," the ambassador said.