All Friday soccer matches in Argentina have been postponed after a lone gunman failed in his assassination attempt of vice president Fernandez de Kirchner.
On Thursday night a shocking moment in Argentinian history occurred, that will give many Americans flashbacks to then-president Ronald Reagan’s near-death experience in 1981. CNN is reporting that a man believed to be a Brazilian national was able to make his way through a crowd of supporters as de Kirchner arrived at her home last night, and somehow got a loaded gun just inches away from the face of the nation’s VP.
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Fortunately for the 69-year-old, the weapon never fired in what has to be seen as a true miracle. The 35-year-old man has been detained and is being charged with attempted murder. Footage of the shocking moment can be seen below. The reasons for the assassination are unclear at this time. However, tensions are high in Argentina right now since de Kirchner is currently under investigation on charges of corruption during her tenure as the country’s president.
Argentina Football Association rallies support behind Fernandez de Kirchner
Following the events on Thursday night, the nation’s top soccer league, the Argentina Football Association, and lower tier leagues announced that they would suspend all of its games on Friday in a moment of “repudiation” against the failed assassination attempt on the vice president.
“The Argentinian Football Association expresses its strongest repudiation of what happened with vice president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. We call on society as a whole, warning that violence of any kind is never the solution.”
AFA statement on suspended games [h/t ESPN]
Three matches had been scheduled in the country’s First Division league on Friday. Featuring matchups of Patronato versus Union, Rosario Central versus Talleres, and Lanus versus Tigre. Several games have also been postponed in Argentina’s regional third-tier league, the women’s championship, and the reserve league.