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From taunting Argentinians to supporting them, this Colombia fan's amazing love for Latin football
Colombian national Jamie Aguirre says Argentina and South America deserve to win this World Cup in Qatar
Jamie Aguirre with his sons Santiago (left) and Matei Aguirre (right), and wife Ana. Photo by Rituraj Borkakoty
Jamie Aguirre, a Colombian national, was working in Argentina when Colombia recorded one of their greatest victories in football, a stunning 5-0 win over Argentina in a 1994 World Cup qualifying game in Buenos Aires that silenced the football-mad Argentinians.
As a Colombian, Jamie was elated after his team brought one of the giants of the game to their knees. He says he never missed a chance to taunt his Argentinian friends after that famous victory.
“Yes, I saw the match on television in 1993, I was in Argentina,” Jamie told Khaleej Times. “I was extremely happy and I couldn't stop teasing the Argentina fans after that match. It was an unforgettable moment and I can never forget that particular match.
“It was our biggest-ever win over Argentina. I was screaming in their ears all the time, I taunted them with the score ‘5-0, 5-0’. The whole Colombia was celebrating that night.”
Remarkably, Jamie and his two sons, Santiago and Matei, were draped in Argentina colours at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday night, celebrating Argentina’s victory over the Netherlands in a nerve-racking quarter-final battle that went to penalties.
“I am here to support Argentina because they are our brothers, they are our Latin American brothers,” he said.
“I feel really good about this Argentinian team. The Colombia team didn’t qualify for the World Cup this time, but we have good players. Ecuador and Uruguay also have good players, but they were eliminated (of the group stages). Now we have Argentina. I hope Argentina will show the world that we can do great things in football."
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While his son, Santiago, could not bear the tension of the penalty shootout, Jamie was confident that Argentina would win.
“Yes, I was really nervous because this was such an important game. But the Argentina players looked very confident when the shootout started. I was calm after seeing their confidence,” he said.
Jamie says the Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina deserve to win the World Cup in Qatar.
“They deserve it. They have shown in the Copa America last year when they beat Brazil in the final, that they are a good team,” he said.
“Also Messi deserves World Cup, he has won everything else in his career. I have seen (Diego) Maradona, he was a really great player, and now Messi is making the difference for this team.
“So I hope Argentina win it. I think Argentina deserve it and Latin America deserve another World Cup.”
Santiago, Jamie’s 20-year-old son, believes Messi has changed the beautiful game.
“Of course, I want Messi to win a World Cup finally because he has changed football,’ he said.
“I think the sport has now two different periods, one before Messi and the other after Messi. I think he has completely changed the sport.”
Qatar is the fourth World Cup for Santiago as a football fan.
“I have been to South Africa, Brazil and Russia. I was only eight-year-old when I went to South Africa in 2010,” he said.
This young football fan says no other continent can match South America’s passion for football.
“I also like Argentina because their supporters are so emotional and passionate about their team. In fact, all Latin American supporters are very passionate and very emotional about football,” he said.
“And today I suffered a lot after the two late goals from the Netherlands. I was very nervous and I even could not see the penalties. I closed my eyes. I like Argentina so much.”
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