Row over shortage of Panini World Cup stickers forces government intervention in Argentina

Collectors of World Cup stickers have been outraged in Argentina over an alleged lack of trading cards in the country, which has led to government intervention.

Now that the football tournament is less than two months old, collecting stickers for the league is in high demand around the world as fans are desperate for their favorite players and also longing to complete a full album.

But the passion for the collection has peaked in Argentina, where a huge demand for the stickers has forced the government to mediate between newsstands and the collection’s producer, Panini, due to a perceived shortage.

Newsstands have hit Panini, accusing them of taking advantage of other sales areas, including supermarkets, gas stations and even online at their expense, preventing them from ordering new packages to sell.

This has caused local sellers to sell out their stock of the hugely popular collection within hours and have to deal with angry customers who are outraged at a lack of available packs.

Some retailers have even reported that angry fans have “tried to destroy their kiosks” out of sheer frustration at not being able to buy stickers.

The packs contain five unknown stickers, with each of the 32 countries having 20 stickers, mostly featuring players, to produce an album of nearly 700 stickers in total. In the UK packs sell for around 90p each.

But collectors are frustrated at the apparent lack of trading cards on sale

That is the extent of the problem, Argentina’s Ministry of Commerce has shown on its Twitter account an attempt to solve the sticker crisis by getting representation from suppliers and Panini’s Argentine group to solve the problem.

They posted a statement that read: “The meeting began to assess the situation of the World Cup figurine market. From @ComercioArg, we are opening a dialogue channel between @ukraok and @PaniniArg, making our legal and technical teams available to work together to find possible solutions.

Sportsmail has reached out to Panini for comment.

People are waiting in line to buy stickers at a newsstand that just got a new stock in Argentina

There is a sign in a shop with Panini collection stickers related to Qatar’s 2022 World Cup. The sign reads in Spanish “Buy what you’re missing, a la cart”

There were huge queues in Argentina showing a visual demand for the cherished trading cards, probably boosted by this likely Lionel Messi’s last World Cup and a wave of support for the national team after their recent Copa America success.

Argentina’s hopes of seeing their side win the World Cup for the first time since Diego Maradona lifted the trophy in 1986 have therefore risen.

A team’s stickers are likely to increase in value when they go all the way to Qatar later this year.

Lionel Messi’s son Mateo beams a delighted smile after receiving his father’s sticker

Many desperate collectors have turned to the black market to access the stickers they need, and South American versions of the Lionel Messi sticker have been asking for up to £450 on eBay auction site.

A collector who does not have to pay a premium for Messi’s sticker is his son Mateo.

Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo shared on social media an image of their son proudly holding up the image of his father wearing the Argentina replica shirt and ready to be pasted into the sticker album.