Argentina friendlies expose African teams' ordeal

African football teams invited to play Argentina in friendlies faced poor travel and accommodation arrangements and did not share in match profits, according to people cited by AFP.

A member of the Benin delegation said the trip to Buenos Aires took days, the hotel had no hot water and training facilities were “not up to scratch.” The delegate said the African football associations invited to play did not receive any of the profits from a match that potentially generated millions of dollars in revenue and TV rights.

Benin lost 3-0 to Argentina. Before the match, Benin's state-owned daily La Nation described the game as a chance to showcase the country, and the national football association called the invitation a “privilege.”

An African football expert who asked not to be named said smaller African teams often rely on agencies to arrange away friendlies and may not profit from the games. The expert said federations accept such deals because travel, opponents and organisation are handled for them, but added that travel and accommodation arrangements can be substandard.

Burkina Faso's friendly with Argentina was disrupted when the senior squad was still stranded in Morocco on the eve of the match after a connecting flight to Buenos Aires was cancelled. When organisers found a last-minute plane, the senior squad refused to board, and Burkina Faso sent an under-23 team instead.

The young Burkina Faso players arrived only hours before the match and lost 7-0. Burkina Faso's military ruler Ibrahim Traore later said the country's football was “in a sorry state” and threatened “significant decisions” to address it.

Burkinabe Football Federation official Ibrahim Dianda warned on Facebook that similar difficulties could recur in the next international window if relations between stakeholders do not change.

The Argentine Football Association has faced criticism from some over friendlies against lower-ranked teams and over the commercial value of matches involving Lionel Messi. The AFA faces a money laundering probe, and its president, Claudio Tapia, is suspected of tax evasion.

Match organiser Eurodata Sport said in a statement shared online by the AFA that it had “honoured its contractual commitments.” Eurodata Sport declined to respond to AFP's request for comment.