According to Mundo Deportivo, Argentina was scheduled to play a friendly against Burkina Faso at the Monumental Stadium at 9 PM local time this Saturday. However, due to logistical issues, their opponents are stranded in Casablanca, Morocco, casting doubt on whether the match will proceed as planned. Benin might temporarily step in to play instead.

It sounds unbelievable, but it's true. World Cup runner-up Argentina had scheduled a friendly match for this Saturday at 9 PM Argentina time, which is 2 AM Sunday in Spain. Yet Argentina is not even certain the match will take place.

The reason is that their opponents are stranded in Casablanca, Morocco, due to logistical chaos and had not yet departed for Buenos Aires as of early Saturday morning. Faced with this sudden situation, event organizers are considering switching the opponent to Benin. Benin has already arrived in Buenos Aires and was originally scheduled to play in Messi's farewell match next Tuesday. If Burkina Faso cannot arrive in time, Benin will replace them as the opponent. This news emerged from the organizers in the early hours of Argentina time. Absurd, unprecedented, chaotic, and undignified—but also a reality.

What exactly happened? The Burkina Faso Football Federation explained the problem through an official statement, revealing that the itinerary originally scheduled for September 30 was disrupted when the charter company canceled the flight without notice. The rescheduled itinerary involved long flights and multiple transfers, which the players refused, leading to a dispute.

With no alternative found, everything was delayed. According to the Argentine Football Association, event organizers (a Colombian company called Eurodata Sport, which represents several players) secured a charter plane from Portuguese airline Hi Fly, which is expected to land in Buenos Aires at 1:15 PM this Saturday, Argentina time. This leaves less than eight hours before the original 9 PM kick-off. Additionally, several key Burkina Faso players will not be traveling and will be replaced by youth players.

Argentina finds itself in this situation because the country has grown accustomed to arranging friendly matches at home against very low-ranked opponents. These opponents have their expenses covered but receive no fixed appearance fee, competing solely for the opportunity to play against a top team. The Argentine Football Association's goal is to maximize revenue, regardless of the match's quality. Consequently, among the last five friendly matches played at home, four were against Mauritania, Zambia, Burkina Faso, and Benin.

In short, it remains to be seen whether this friendly match will take place. It is scheduled, in principle, for 9 PM this Saturday (2 AM Sunday, Spain time) at the Monumental Stadium. Argentina will play against Burkina Faso, if they can arrive. Otherwise, it might be against Benin. An unprecedented and ridiculous farce.

In such circumstances, discussing tactical issues seems pointless. If the match goes ahead, Argentina's starting lineup will be: Emiliano Martínez; Zaire-Emery, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Medina; Giuliano Simeone or Mastantuono, Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández or Palacios, Paz; Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez. At this point, the lineup Scaloni fields is the least important matter.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com