He was seen in Doha, together with the fans of the Argentine National Team. There was a request from Casa Rosada so that no one from the Frente de Todos travels to the World Cup
The ultra K trade unionist Víctor Santa María, a benchmark for the goalkeepers’ union, was present at the Argentine flag raised this Monday by some 2,000 fans in Doha. It was the day before at the beginning of the national team in the World Cup in Qatar 2022, as reported to Clarion the PPT journalist, Manu Jove, who was there and was able to record the exact moment in which the trade unionist participated in the festivities in Qatar.
Thus he broke an unwritten rule, a plea that had come from Casa Rosada: that no referent of the Frente de Todos is going to see the Cup at a time when the economic crisis has almost half the country below the poverty line. Last week, the son of the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, had to return from Qatar due to the rejection caused by his trip to cover the tournament for a private firm associated with the AFA.
Santa María is the head of the Unique Union of Workers of Rental and Horizontal Buildings (Suterh), as well as one of the most influential figures of Peronism in the City of Buenos Aires. For some time now, it has also added space in the media conglomerate. “Grupo Octubre”, his holding company, started with the magazine Caras y Caretas, became owner of the newspaper Página/12, acquired 90% of Canal 9 and FM Aspen, and launched the news channel IP (Información Periodística). Recently he joined the business.
He is also a man close to several government terminals. He has arrived at Alberto Fernández and usually appears among the first rows of the acts carried out by Cristina Kirchner. The close link with the President was born from years of militancy in Buenos Aires Peronism. The trade unionist became an effusive setter of his campaign as soon as Cristina Kirchner appointed him at the head of the formula to face Mauricio Macri in 2019.
The union leader was seen strolling in the Corniche area of Doha during the meeting of Argentine fans in the flag that was made the day before Lionel Messi’s debut and team against Saudi Arabia. Santa María was seen by the journalist from Jorge Lanata’s television program, Manu Jove, who took the photos that illustrate this note. He was dressed in a green shirt and a light blue cap, and was accompanied by his family and friends.
A chronicler from the newspaper La Nación also saw Santa María and tried to talk to him, butThe trade unionist apologized and preferred not to comment since he was “with his family”.
However, the PPT journalist, Manu Jove, pointed out to Clarion who could see that Santa María had “regular fan credential, not accredited by any means“. And he added: “There were close to two thousand people at the flag, who were on the World Cup countdown clock.”
In addition to the trade unionist and media businessman Santa María, Carlos Pascual, alias El Tula, “who was in a wheelchair”, also participated in the banner, carrying the bass drum that Juan Domingo Perón gave him in 1971 during his exile in Spain. In addition to Carlos Maslatón, Sebastián Wainraich and Diego ‘El Peque’ Schwartzman”, among others, Manu Jove told Clarion.
Other referents who are going to Qatar
Santa María is not the first referent of the Frente de Todos to go to Qatar. Beyond the brief stint of Tomás Massa, Salta senator Sergio “Oso” Leavy requested a license without pay to go and support Argentina.
His trip caused inconvenience in the ruling party for a more sensitive detail: it jeopardizes the possibility that Kirchnerism will gather a quorum to meet in the Upper House.
The fact caused internal noise because there were few who knew that the senator, who is not organic to the vice president, asked for 11 days to travel to Qatarr. As if to mitigate the criticism, this Thursday, Leavy presented a note to the parliamentary secretary Marcelo Fuentes to “reject the enjoyment of the diet” during the days that he will be on leave.
From their environment they tried to justify it before this newspaper noting that Leavy had organized everything for December, since the ordinary period of Congress closes on November 30. What he did not foresee was that President Alberto Fernández was going to extend the ordinary sessions until December 30.
On the other hand, in Together for Change they also pay attention with the photos of references traveling in a moment of crisis. Mauricio Macri arrived in Doha this weekbut not as a tourist but as part of his official activities as head of the FIFA Foundation.
There he will be in charge of welcoming the international delegations of politicians and businessmen, as well as accompanying the head honcho of FIFA, Gianni Infantino.