- Title: Man sized table football substitutes for the real thing in soccer mad Argentina
- Date: 5th July 2020
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PLAYER, ARIEL ARBELECHE, SAYING: "The idea is very good for these times, given the situation we are going through. It's being able to start something that gets us moving and to shake off problems through sport. For life and for me soccer is very important and it allows me to forget the daily grind." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PLAYER, GUSTAVO SANTAPAOLA, SAYING: "The truth is that I tried it out, I've come and it is the first time I've kicked (a ball) in some months. I'm telling you this truthfully, I am emotional."
- Embargoed: 19th July 2020 13:43
- Keywords: Argentina coronavirus foosball pandemic quarantine soccer social distancing
- Location: PERGAMINO, ARGENTINA
- City: PERGAMINO, ARGENTINA
- Country: Argentina
- Reuters ID: LVA006CLJ7MFB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Soccer-mad Argentines in the country's farmbelt city of Pergamino have devised a novel way to keep playing while avoiding the risk of spreading COVID-19: a human table football (foosball) pitch marked out in rectangular zones.
Players must stay within the rectangles designated to their team, so tackling the opposition players and spectacular pitch-long Lionel Messi-like dribbles are against the rules.
The game, known locally as "metegol humano", allows for social distancing.
Argentina has recorded over 75,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and around 1,500 deaths linked to the virus.
The government has had to reinforce lockdown measures in and around capital city Buenos Aires after a recent spike in cases.
In Pergamino some restrictions have been eased, but soccer fans are having to do without the country's soccer league, which has been halted.
(Production: Miguel Lo Bianco, Juan Bustamante, Horacio Soria, Paul Vieira) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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