‘Traidora, traidora’ – traitor, traitor. Football fans in both Uruguay and Argentina do not mince their words when speaking of Princess Máxima of the Netherlands.
They hurled insults at her when television showed her jumping for joy at the success of the orange clad team of Holland in the World Cup semi final against Uruguay, Tuesday. ‘How dare she, that @#%[email protected]’ people shouted.
Máxima Zorreguieta from Buenos Aires, Argentina, became Princess Máxima of the Netherlands in marrying the Dutch heir to the throne, Prince Willem-Alexander, the Prince of Orange on 02-02-02. Almost one year earlier she received the Dutch nationality, without giving up her Argentine one, as Argentina law does not permit that.
Princess Máxima sees herself as Dutch, with perhaps an Argentine temperament, and certainly Argentine roots. But her loyalty is to the country which one day will see her as queen-consort; so quite naturally she supports Holland’s teams and athletes in international competitions, from Olympics to the World Cup. “Oranje for Oranje”, as the Dutch say: the royal house of Orange supports the ‘Orange’ team(s).
With the elimination of Brazil (by Holland), Paraguay (by Spain) and Argentina (by Germany) in this year’s World Cup, which is played in South Africa, football crazy Latin America had only one team left going into the semi finals: Uruguay. Latin pride was at stake when Uruguay played the Netherlands in Cape Town, and many fans believed Princess Máxima betrayed her roots by whole heartedly supporting ‘Oranje’.
Argentine and Uruguayan newspapers reported how fans reacted angrily in bars and on the streets, and how Máxima was criticised on webforums and internetsites. Others though defended her: she has a new country now, so therefore she supports the Netherlands. © GPD; Photos GPD © AP
Links to Spanish articles about Máxima in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay:
http://www.elpais.com.uy/100707/pciuda-500319/ciudades/como-si-fuera-el-estadio-pero-en-el-bar-el-gaucho
http://www.ole.com.ar/mundial/uruguay/Que_no_0_293970673.html
http://www.diaadia.com.pa/archivo/07072010/fam08.html
http://442.perfil.com/2010/07/06/maxima-una-fanatica-naranja/
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