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Fifa World Cup: Venezuelan family with roots in Messi’s hometown supports Argentina with passion
'This is a beautiful country and we hope to come back again', says Georgette Musrie, whose family have tickets for 10 matches in the tournament, including the final
(L-R) Jose, Georgette, Roberto, Elena and Roberto Jr
As hordes of Spanish-speaking Argentinian fans came out of the Lusail Iconic Stadium in a jubilant mood after their team’s stunning second-half performance in the 2-0 win over Mexico on Saturday night, the challenge for this reporter was to find fans who could express their thoughts and happiness in English.
A lot of them have great stories to tell, but only a few can hold a conversation in English.
It was in one of those desperate attempts that this reporter bumped into another family in Argentina's colours.
“Do you speak a bit of English?” I asked desperately.
“English? No, Espanyol,” the man replied.
I shook my head in despair, but he tapped my shoulder and pointed to a young girl.
That young girl, named Georgette Musrie, turned out to be the man’s daughter.
As they were wearing Argentina's colours and holding Argentina flags, I asked them how it felt to see their country’s performance against Mexico.
“No, no, we are not from Argentina,” Georgette clarified. “We are from Venezuela. But we love Argentina and we are here in Qatar to support Argentina in the World Cup.”
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As it turned out, these Venezuelans are not among the millions of neutral fans who support either Brazil or Argentina, the two most popular teams in international football, during World Cups.
Georgette, the only person in the family who can speak English fluently, revealed that her family had roots in Rosario, the birthplace of Lionel Messi and Che Guevara.
“My grandfather was from Rosario. He moved to Venezuela 32 years ago. But he remained an Argentinian in heart,” Georgette said.
“That’s why my father, Roberto, my brothers Roberto Jr and Jose, and even my mother, Elena, have all been Argentina fans.”
The Musries have tickets for 10 Fifa World Cup matches, including the final. “Tonight I was so nervous – now we are very happy,” Georgette said.
“Now we can hope that Argentina will win the World Cup,” Roberto Jr added.
Georgette then revealed why the family would love to visit the Middle East again after the World Cup. “My mother is Arab and her family moved to South America many, many years ago,” Georgette said.
“So this is a special trip for us in Qatar. This is a beautiful country and we hope to come back here again.”
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