Meet the Newcastle-mad Argentinians supporting the club from afar

Whilst the 52,000 fans who fill St. James’ Park each match day may feel like an army of Magpies fans, the love for the club stretches much further afield.

Over 5,000 miles away in Argentina are a group of Newcastle-mad fans, who have been brought together by the club.

NewcastleWorld chats with Alexis from the Spanish Toon Army to find out what the group is all about.

Q: Why did you decide to create the group?

A: I've been a Newcastle fan for 15 years. I've been speaking with the Geordies thanks to the help of a translator. Once one told me he knew another Argentinian Newcastle fan. I met him in a bar and I started to want to meet more Spanish-speaking Newcastle fans and, above all Argentinian fans.

Q: How many members are there, and do you have a lot of new people joining?

A: We are 35 Argentinian fans in total, but only 15 of us are based in Buenos Aires. We are in constant contact and in these post takeover times, we're hoping to maybe find more people interesting in supporting a club abroad.

I also manage Spanish Toon Army, a group of more than 200 Spanish speakers. Argentina, Spain and Mexico are the ones that contribute the most members.

Q: What are your opinions on last year's takeover?

A: For me, now the takeover has happened I'm hoping we can be a more competitive side. It has been very frustrating in recent years because you're watching the club you love with zero expectation of success or fight. I've seen two relegations and little hope of any other succes. I'm starting to dream of a succesful new start and to hopefully finally really love supporting Newcastle.

Q: What do the group do to get together when Newcastle play?

A: When Newcastle play we get together at someone's house. Of course, we can't make it work with every match but we try as much as possible. It's a bit difficult to meet up in bars as they have to have the right TV channel to show the match.

Q: Do you have plans to visit St. James' Park in the future?

A: I've been to St. James' Park once and saw a 2-0 win against Burnley when we were fighting relegation. Schär scored and Sean Longstaff got his first goal. Three of our first members were the ones that went and we're hopine to organise a trip together in the future.