As Montevideo newspaper El País pointed out, Álvaro Delgado and Yamandú Orsi have their logical differences, leading them to be center-right and center-left candidates respectively. These differences are light years away from the drama of Argentine politics, but they are united by a common passion: both are “manyas”, unconditional supporters of Peñarol. This joint allegiance has not been seen for 25 years, with the last Uruguayan Aurinegra fan to wear the presidential sash being Julio María Sanguinetti, who governed until 2000.
Orsi admits to being impressed by the goals scored by Fernando Morena, who had a short spell with Boca Juniors in 1984, while Delgado’s favorite is Diego Aguirre, who distinguished himself as a player and led the team in semi-final of the Copa Libertadores this year, where they were eliminated by Botafogo.
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Just like in Argentina, the passion for football of Uruguayan presidents has always been notorious. Sanguinetti himself was a director at Peñarol and received the honorary title of honorary president. El País recalls that when he was in office, he often visited the Centenario Stadium to watch his beloved team play.
Tabaré Vázquez also ventured into sports politics and served as president of Progreso before becoming mayor of Montevideo, a step towards his presidential role. The current president, Luis Lacalle Pou, is a Nacional fan and Boston River supporter. Meanwhile, José Mujica, who is not particularly keen on football, is a fan of Cerro, the team from the neighborhood where he was born.
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