Less than a week after Messi's final match for Argentina against Benin, Benin's assistant coach Tunde Adelakun spoke out in a lengthy blog post on Monday. In particular, he criticized Argentina for showing a lack of respect to the African team, which had been hastily invited to participate in the farewell match.

It was an important historic moment, but it left a bitter taste for Benin. Last week, they faced off in Messi's farewell match for Argentina, experiencing a special evening at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Coach Gernot Rohr had previously told RMC that the players were honored to be part of such a great farewell match, but they were also surprised to find themselves unable to get close to the legendary player to take photos or ask for a jersey.

On Monday, assistant coach Tunde Adelakun posted a lengthy blog post on "The African Football Club," expressing his displeasure. First, the hastily arranged trip was far from easy. "The journey alone took a full 13 hours from Paris to Buenos Aires, not counting the initial 6 hours and connecting flight from Abidjan to Paris. We traveled all day, split into three groups, just to play this match," he recalled.

A "rather concerning" situation

Regarding the match itself, Tunde Adelakun considered it "significant in every way" and specifically mentioned that the entire team was proud to bid farewell to the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. However, after the final whistle, the atmosphere changed. "What surprised me most was Argentina's clear refusal to engage with my team after the match," he complained. "The post-match handshakes were brief and emotionless. Our players wanted to approach the man they had traveled so far to honor, but security staff aggressively pushed them away. It was clear they didn't want to share space with the Benin team. This is quite concerning."

He continued: "When they lined up to honor him, there was an expectation that our team should also line up and applaud as he walked past. Security quickly dispersed that small group of players at an astonishing speed; it made my players look like an unruly mob!"

The assistant coach then recounted another incident he called "the final blow." During the guard of honor, Benin players stood along Messi's path, but Messi appeared to turn toward the center circle before reaching them. "This was another slight to a man admired by many and held in near-sacred regard by so many young people across Africa," he lamented. He concluded: "Respect must be mutual. In football, we respect one another."

Website AF đã ra mắt! Xem tin tức đầy đủ, bình luận, chi tiết trận đấu và thống kê trên máy tính. Truy cập: www.allfootballapp.com