Celebrations short-lived as stars take to the air

Millions of jubilant fans turned out to welcome home Argentina's World Cup winners led by Lionel Messi, but most were left disappointed when an open-top bus parade had to be abandoned due to the massive crowds, in favor of a hastily organized helicopter tour.

Vast crowds of ecstatic fans cheered on their heroes along every meter of the planned 30-kilometer parade route from a Buenos Aires suburb to the city center - but that made for interminably slow progress.

The bus had crawled along for almost five hours as the throng celebrated the team's thrilling penalty shoot-out victory over France in the World Cup final, before the decision was made to trade the bus for a chopper.

"It was impossible to continue due to the explosion of popular joy," presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti said.

It meant that many fans, including the largest congregation at the iconic Obelisk monument that has for decades been the epicenter of sporting celebrations, did not get to see their idols in the flesh.

"I'm a little bit sad that we weren't able to see them," said Marta Acosta, 35, who came in from a southern suburb at 5 am.

Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia blamed police for the decision.

"They are not allowing us to go and greet all the people at the Obelisk," said Tapia.

Messi, coach Lionel Scaloni and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul took the World Cup trophy with them for a helicopter ride over the main parade sites.

Messi and winger Angel Di Maria then took a private plane to their hometown of Rosario, where they boarded a helicopter to go home.

Back in Buenos Aires, many kept celebrating but for some fans, the short-circuiting was inevitable.

"Only someone who does not know what football means to the Argentine people could think this was not a possibility," Roman Garcia, 38, said.

associated press