Argentine President to Miss WC Final Due to Illness

Thousands of Argentine fans are expected to attend Sunday's World Cup final but President Cristina Kirchner will not be among them as she is sick with throat trouble.

Kirchner disclosed the news Thursday in a letter to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

The letter said Kirchner will meet Saturday with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend a summit of emerging powers next week in Brasilia.

But she will miss the final Sunday in Rio of the world's premiere sporting tournament, to which she had been invited by Rousseff.

Kirchner said in the letter that for a week she had been fighting pharyngolaryngitis -- inflammation of the pharynx and larynx.

Kirchner also said that on Monday she has to travel to southern Argentina to be with her grandson Nestor Ivan on his first birthday.

"As a grandmother, you can imagine how eager I am to share this event with my family," Kirchner said to Rousseff in the letter.

Kirchner has not appeared in public all week.

The leaders of both finalists, Argentina and Germany, and hosts Brazil are female.

Germany's Angela Merkel has said she will attend the match.