Heavily armed soldiers, tanks and helicopters, what was going on in Luque, Paraguay? The Fifa circus was in town and even the showrunner himself didn’t bother to be there on time.
By Sam Kunti
Even an army helicopter had been deployed, with a rifle-wielding soldier leaning out to survey the scene below.
Under the scorching sun, footballers of all ages took part in a kickabout in Luque, on the outskirts of Asunción, Paraguay. Kaká featured in Fifa’s team, New Zealand’s Ryan Nelsen defended Oceania and on the sidelines, Arsène Wenger – the former Arsenal manager turned Fifa’s poster boy/chief of global football development – watched on. In the end, host confederation Conmebol defeated Paraguay 1-0 with a spot kick from Juan Román Riquelme.
Outside the media entrance, two soldiers with huge rifles stood guard. Across the road from the legends match, private security patrolled the entrance of the Gran Bourbon hotel, Fifa’s main accommodation during its 75th congress. A tank-flanked roadblock regulated access to the hotel where earlier that morning, military trucks had dropped off dozens of soldiers at the doorstep.
In the lead-up to the congress, Paraguay had been on high alert for days. President Santiago Peña, head of the ruling Colorado Party, called it the largest international event ever held in the country. Paraguay has been a democracy since 1989, following the fall of longtime dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who came to power in a 1954 military coup. The family of Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez had close business and family ties to Stroessner's brutal regi...
You must be a subscriber to read this article
Already a subscriber? Log in here
Josimar is entirely dependent on our subscribers to tell the stories from football that matter. Become a subscriber today!
