Argentina won a friendly match against Burkina Faso 7-0 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The match was played without Lionel Messi, who is set to make his farewell international appearance in Argentina's next friendly against Benin on October 6. Lautaro Martínez, Gianluca Prestianni, Nicolás Paz, Julián Álvarez, Franco Mastantuono, Giuliano Simeone, and an own goal from Moumouni Diallo scored for Argentina.
The match was overshadowed by controversy surrounding Burkina Faso's travel arrangements. The team arrived in Buenos Aires just five hours before kick-off, after a nearly 12-hour flight. The delegation had been stuck in Casablanca, Morocco, due to problems with their planned flight to Argentina. This led to several senior players refusing to travel, and the team fielded 13 uncapped players.
Organiser Eurodata Sport attributed the travel disruption to a technical problem with the original charter flight. However, journalist Romain Molina raised allegations of organisational and financial issues behind the friendly. Molina claimed that participating African federations, including Burkina Faso, were not receiving a share of the revenue generated by the matches.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) had mandated Eurodata Sport to handle the friendly match against Burkina Faso. The AFA covered travel, accommodation, and other basic expenses for the visiting team but did not provide a participation fee or a share of the match revenue. This led to concerns about the financial arrangements and the treatment of African teams.
Burkina Faso's team had faced repeated problems with their travel arrangements, leading to accumulated fatigue. Some players chose not to travel due to the organisational issues, and the team had to field younger players. The situation led to tension between the players and the federation, with the team refusing to train due to the lack of planning.
The friendly match was initially in doubt due to the uncertainty surrounding Burkina Faso's travel plans. A compromise was eventually reached, allowing the match to go ahead. However, the controversy surrounding the match's organisation and financial arrangements has raised questions about the treatment of African teams in friendly matches.
The victory gives Argentina momentum ahead of their next match against Benin, which will serve as Lionel Messi's farewell international appearance. The result also highlights the significant gap in quality between the two teams, despite the controversy surrounding the match. The incident has sparked a wider debate about the organisation of friendly matches and the treatment of African teams.
Key points
- Argentina won the friendly match 7-0 despite controversy surrounding Burkina Faso's travel arrangements.
- The match was overshadowed by allegations of organisational and financial issues, including a dispute over revenue generated by the match.
- The incident has raised questions about the treatment of African teams in friendly matches and the organisation of such games.
