According to Mundo Deportivo, Argentina's national team was scheduled to play a friendly match against Burkina Faso at the Monumental Stadium this Saturday at 21:00 local time. However, due to logistical problems, the visiting team is stuck in Casablanca, Morocco, putting the match in doubt. Benin may temporarily become a replacement opponent.

It sounds unbelievable, but it's true. World Cup runners-up Argentina had scheduled a friendly match set to kick off at 21:00 local time in Argentina this Saturday, which corresponds to 02:00 on Sunday in Spain. Nevertheless, Argentina is uncertain whether the match will even take place.

The reason is that their relatively unknown opponent is stuck in Casablanca, Morocco, due to logistical chaos and, as of early Saturday morning, has not yet departed for Buenos Aires. Facing this sudden situation, match organizers are considering a change of opponent, with Argentina potentially playing against Benin instead. Benin has already arrived in Buenos Aires and was originally scheduled as the opponent for Messi's farewell match the following Tuesday. If Burkina Faso cannot arrive in time, the opponent will be switched to Benin. This news was announced by organizers in the early hours of Argentine local time. Absurd, unprecedented, chaotic, and unworthy, but it is a fact.

What exactly happened? The Burkina Faso Football Federation explained the problem in an official statement, noting that their original travel plan for 30 September was disrupted when the charter company cancelled the flight without notice. The revised route involved a lengthy flight with multiple connections, which the players refused to accept, leading to a dispute.

With no other alternatives available, everything was postponed. According to sources within the Argentine Football Association, match organizers (Colombian company Eurodata Sport, which represents several players) subsequently arranged a charter flight with Portuguese airline Hi Fly, which is expected to land in Buenos Aires at 13:15 local time this Saturday. This leaves less than eight hours before the scheduled 21:00 kickoff. Furthermore, several key Burkina Faso players will not travel and will be replaced by younger players.

Argentina found itself in this situation because the country is accustomed to organizing friendly matches at home against very low-ranked opponents. These opponents receive only full expense coverage and no appearance fee, merely the opportunity to play against a top team. The goal of the Argentine Football Association is to maximize revenue, regardless of the match's level. Consequently, four of the last five home friendlies have been against Mauritania, Zambia, Burkina Faso, and Benin.

Overall, it remains unclear whether this friendly match will take place. In principle, it is scheduled for this Saturday at 21:00 (02:00 on Sunday in Spain) at the Monumental Stadium, where Argentina will play Burkina Faso if they can arrive. Otherwise, it could be Benin. An unprecedented and absurd fiasco.

In such circumstances, discussing football matters seems like a joke. If the match takes place, Argentina's likely starting lineup would be: Emiliano Martínez; Guay, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Medina; Giuliano Simeone or Mastantuono, Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández or Palacios, Paz; Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez. At this point, what lineup Scaloni can field is the least important question.

Переведено ИИ.

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