sport news Row over shortage of Panini World Cup stickers forces government intervention ... trends now Row over shortage of World Cup trading cards forces government intervention in Argentina as collectors fume over lack of stickers, which has seen demand for Messi's copy to hit £450 Popularity for World Cup stickers in Argentina has soared ahead of tournament Collectors have queued outside of local kiosks desperate to buy packets But small vendors have struggled to get access to them under huge demand Argentine government have held a meeting between parties to find a solution By Dan Ripley for MailOnline Published: 12:34 BST, 23 September 2022 | Updated: 12:37 BST, 23 September 2022 Viewcomments World Cup sticker collectors have been left fuming in Argentina over a perceived lack of trading cards in the country, leading to intervention from the government. With the football tournament fewer than two months away, collection of stickers for the competition is at peak demand across the globe as fans desperately seek their favourite players as well as desires to complete a full album. But passion for the collection has hit fever pitch in Argentina where a huge demand for the stickers has led to the government having to mediate between news stands and the collection's producer Panini due to a perceived shortage. News stands have hit out at Panini, accusing them of profiting from other areas of sales including supermarkets, gas stations and even online at their expense, leaving them unable to order new packets to sell. This has led to local vendors selling out their supply of the hugely popular collection in a matter of hours and having to deal with angry customers fuming over a lack of packs available. Some shop keepers have even reported that angry fans have 'tried to smash up their kiosks' in utter frustration at not being able to purchase stickers. The packs contain five unknown stickers, with each of the 32 countries having 20 stickers, mainly featuring players, to produce an album of nearly 700 stickers in total. In the UK, packs sell for around 90p each. There has been a huge demand for the 2022 World Cup stickers this year in Argentina But collectors have been left frustrated at the apparent lack of trading cards on sale Such is the scale of the problem, the Argentine Ministry of Commerce has shown on its Twitter account an attempt to solve the sticker crisis by getting representation from vendors and Panini's Argentina group to solve the issue. They posted a statement that read: 'The meeting began to assess the situation of the World Cup figurines market. From @ComercioArg we open a dialogue channel between @ukraok and @PaniniArg, making our legal and technical teams available to collaborate in the search for possible solutions. Sportsmail has contacted Panini for comment. People wait in line to buy stickers at a kiosk that just received a new stock in Argentina