Messi bids farewell to Argentina amid chaos: the Burkina Faso friendly scandal repeats itself in the Argentina v Benin match
Administrative crises continue
Argentina have another match in extraordinary circumstances on their hands. After an emphatic 7-0 win over Burkina Faso that unfolded in controversial fashion, they now face Benin after midnight next Tuesday.
This international break has turned turbulent for the Argentine national team. The 4-0 win over Bolivia drew little reaction. Then everything changed in the space of a few days.
La Albiceleste thrashed Burkina Faso 7-0, but the result came in chaotic circumstances. The Burkinabé fielded a modified line-up including players under 23 because of travel arrangements handled by the Argentine Football Association.
Burkina Faso took a low-cost flight and received no bonus, which triggered the sudden change in personnel.
Worse still, the players landed in Argentina just three hours before kick-off. They had no time to rest after the long journey.
The scoreline stretched wider than expected, and the Argentine press did not take it well. They tore into the situation, branding what happened a scandal.
The crisis repeats itself with Benin
According to the website "Foot Mercato", things do not appear set to calm down. Lionel Messi will play his final match in the Argentine shirt on Tuesday 6 October at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, yet the fixture against Benin comes together in unusual circumstances. The African side ran into problem after problem before the game, with facilities that were far from ideal.
There was no hot water for the players at the hotel. The sauna was out of order, the equipment was insufficient, and the artificial-turf training pitch and the fitness gym fell short of professional standards.
Benin travelled on a 23-hour flight in economy class, and the sports analyst Jonas Bidi lost consciousness.
Several players were also missing, most notably Junior Olaitan (Beşiktaş), Charlemagne Azonguétodé (TPS) and Sahid Ngobi (VPS).
Things did eventually improve and gradually returned to normal. Even so, it was a difficult period for Benin, and none of this does Argentina's reputation any favours ahead of the match the world is waiting for.
