Argentina forced to abandon World Cup bus parade after man dies and child, 5, left in coma amid huge crowds

21 December 2022, 07:28 | Updated: 21 December 2022, 07:40

Argentina football bosses have been forced to abandon the World Cup-winning team's open-top bus parade through Buenos Aires after a man died and a five-year-old fell into a coma amid huge crowds in the capital.

Lionel Messi and the rest of the team continued their tour of the city in a helicopter amid chaotic scenes, after beating France in a penalty shoot-out on Sunday, sealing Argentina's first World Cup victory since 1986.

But the jubilant scenes became ugly as fans swarmed from throughout the city to see their returning heroes - and some even reportedly threw missiles at one point, in an angry reaction to the change of route.

A shocking video shows fans trying to jump onto the bus from an overhead bridge, with one man landing and another missing and plummeting to the street below.

Buenos Aires health officials said last night that another man died in hospital after suffering head injuries while celebrating the victory.

Local publication Nacional reported that the fan "was jumping on the roof, celebrating the triumph of the National Team, until [the roof] broke and he fell".

And fears are also mounting for the health of a five-year-old child, reported to be in a coma in hospital after a chunk of marble fell from a monument and hit him on the head amid the celebrations.

The players were meant to travel to the Obelisk monument in Buenos Aires in celebrations slated to last around eight hours.

A spokesman for the Argentina FA said: "The players of the Argentine soccer team ended the festivities by flying over in a helicopter over the crowd of fans who gathered in the city.

"They made that decision after verifying that they could not continue advancing by bus in the middle of the crowd."

And AFA president Claudio Tapia said: "They don't let us get to greet all the people who were at the Obelisk.

"The same security agencies that escorted us don't allow us to move forward."

Gabriela Cerruti, an Argentine presidential spokeswoman, tweeted as TV stations broadcast the breathtaking images of the crowds looking upwards towards the players above them in the sky:

"The world champions are flying along the route they were taking because it was impossible to continue by road with the explosion of happiness.'Let's continue celebrating in peace and showing them our love and admiration."

It comes after Argentina beat France on penalties, following a 3-3 draw that some have hailed as the best World Cup final in history, with Messi scoring twice.

But his World Cup celebrations nearly took a turn for the worse when he came close to being knocked off an open to bus by an overhead wire.

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Messi – considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time – has been hailed as a hero, some comparing him to a god, for his heroics at the tail end of his glittering career.

But he came close to colliding with an overhead line as he sat on top of the bus with his teammates as they soaked up the crowd's adulation.

The forward and fellow teammates including Angel Di Maria are seen appearing oblivious to the oncoming obstacle but at the last moment Rodrigo De Paul spots it and calls for them to duck.

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They all managed to dodge any contact with the line and manage to stay on the bus and their quick reactions stopped anyone from being struck off the vehicle or getting hurt.