According to Mundo Deportivo, Argentina were scheduled to play a friendly match against Burkina Faso at Estadio Monumental on Saturday at 21:00 local time. However, due to logistical issues, their opponents were stranded in Casablanca, Morocco, raising doubts about whether the match would go ahead as planned. Benin may step in as a replacement at the last minute.

It sounds unbelievable, but it's true. Argentina, World Cup runners-up, had scheduled a friendly match to kick off Saturday at 21:00 Argentina time, or Sunday at 02:00 Spain time. Yet Argentina wasn't even certain the match would take place.

The reason: their lesser-known opponents were stranded in Casablanca, Morocco, due to logistical chaos and, as of Saturday morning, had still not departed for Buenos Aires. Facing this unexpected situation, the event organizers were considering replacing the opponent, with Argentina potentially playing Benin instead. Benin had already arrived in Buenos Aires and was originally scheduled as the opponent for Messi's farewell match the following Tuesday. If Burkina Faso couldn't arrive on time, they would be replaced by Benin. This news came from the organizers early Saturday morning Argentina time. It's absurd, unprecedented, chaotic, and undignified, yet it's fact.

What exactly happened? The Burkina Faso Football Federation clarified the situation through an official statement, explaining that their original travel plan for September 30 was disrupted when the charter company cancelled the flight without notice. The rescheduled itinerary involved a long flight with multiple connections, which the players rejected, causing a standoff.

With no other alternatives found, everything was delayed. According to sources at the Argentine Football Association, with this backdrop, the event organizers (a Colombian company called Eurodata Sport, representing the players) secured a charter flight from Portuguese airline Hi Fly, expected to land in Buenos Aires on Saturday at 13:15 Argentina time. This left less than eight hours before the 21:00 kickoff. Moreover, several key Burkina Faso players would not be available and would be replaced by younger squad members.

Argentina found itself in this situation because the country is accustomed to arranging home friendlies against very low-level opponents. These opponents receive only full expense reimbursement with no appearance fee, solely for the opportunity to play against a major team. The Argentine Football Association's goal is to maximize revenue, regardless of match quality. Consequently, of their last five home friendlies, four were against Mauritania, Zambia, Burkina Faso, and Benin.

In short, it remains to be seen whether this friendly will take place. In principle, it is scheduled for Saturday at 21:00 (Sunday at 02:00 Spain time) at Estadio Monumental. Argentina will face Burkina Faso, if they can arrive. If not, it may be against Benin. An unprecedented and farcical situation.

In these circumstances, discussing tactical aspects seems absurd. Should the match go ahead, Argentina's expected starting lineup is: Emiliano Martínez; Jai, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Medina; Giuliano Simeone or Mastantuono, Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández or Palacios, Paz; Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez. At this point, which lineup Scaloni deploys is the least important concern.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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