Soccer takes center stage at Buenos Aires International Book Fair

Soccer became one of the main attractions this year at the 42nd International Book Fair that started on April 21 and will come to an end on May 9 in the Argentinian capital city.

As well as the dozens of literary titles that have been presented and still have to be presented before the end of the fair, several soccer clubs have set up their own spaces within the fair venue to share their passion for their team's colors with the fans.

San Lorenzo, Huracan and Racing Club, three first division Argentinian clubs, have their own stands at the fair located in Palermo, a neighborhood in the northern part of Buenos Aires. It is hoped that this year the book fair will attract over one million visitors.

In their stands they are offering books about the history of the clubs and talks from key members of their teams, among other activities.

Another team that has its own stand at the book fair is the popular River Plate by means of a campaign against discrimination and presenting an exciting educational project.

Apart from the soccer clubs' presence at the fair, soccer is also prominent as a literary topic in several books such as the recently published "Pelota de Papel" ("Paper Ball"). This literary work is made up of 24 stories written by well known active and retired soccer players, as well as coaches.

Javier Mascherano, Pablo Aimar, Nicolas Burdisso, Jorge Bermudez, Juan Pablo Sorin, Jorge Valdano, Angel Cappa and Jorge Sampaoli are among the Argentinian soccer figures that have lent their creative services to the book.

Also throughout the fair, talks have been given by key figures linked to Argentina's most popular sport.

Buenos Aires' International Book Fair has been catalogued as one of the five most important of its kind in the world alongside the ones in Frankfurt (Germany), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Guadalajara (Mexico) and London. Endit