BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 21 (US): In stores across Argentina, children – and their parents – are indulging in a new frenzy: the hunt for World Cup soccer posters that have driven the already sports-mad country into a frenzy. Many shops left with no stock to sell.
In the hometown of soccer legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, he wrote in some shop windows “No more stickers or albums,” referring to the 2022 collectible poster albums ahead of the November tournament in Qatar, Reuters reports.
This trend spawned a wave of social media messaging and satire, and even the creation of an app that allows you to keep track of where to get your coveted stickers. The new stock was sold out within hours.
It’s frustrating not being able to find anything,” said Iquiquel Claverie, 38, a media professional and father of three who is a fan of the local River Plate club.
“I get home every day to say (to my kids): ‘Dad, did you buy stickers?’ ” There is no!”
Argentina, who won the Copa America last year, will travel to Qatar along with other Latin American nations such as Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica.
The Italian label manufacturer Panini says that this year many adults are also collecting labels, which increases demand.
The suggested price for a package of five stickers is 150 pesos (close to a dollar at the official rate), but shortages have caused prices to double or triple in informal markets, including one at Rivadavia Park in Buenos Aires.
Completing the 600-poster album could cost an estimated 20,000 pesos, an exorbitant sum in a country facing hyperinflation and a serious economic crisis.
Lucas Peroni, a graphic designer, 39, said as he put the stickers into a book with his two children.