The recent international football matches between Argentina and the teams from Burkina Faso and Benin highlighted the difficult conditions that African teams often face in such events. These friendlies, which included Lionel Messi’s final appearance for Argentina, were held in Buenos Aires. However, the journey and preparation for the African teams were far from ideal. Reports indicate that the Benin team, known as the "Guépards," faced a long flight and stayed in a hotel without hot water. Their training conditions were also described as poor. A member of the Benin delegation mentioned that their football federation did not receive any financial benefit from the match, even though the event reportedly generated millions of dollars through ticket sales, television rights, and other related products. The Burkina Faso team, known as the "Etalons," encountered even more problems. Their main squad was stuck in Casablanca after their flight was canceled, forcing the last-minute use of the U23 team to travel to Buenos Aires. The players arrived just hours before the match and struggled with jet lag, leading to a heavy 7-0 loss to Argentina. This result led to criticism from Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who called the state of football in his country "sick" and said he would take "important decisions" to improve the situation. The financial and logistical difficulties faced by these teams have raised questions about who is responsible. Some argue that African football federations accept these arrangements because they are fully covered by the organizers, which saves them the trouble of finding opponents and organizing matches themselves. Others have pointed to the Argentine Football Association (AFA), which is currently under investigation for suspected money laundering and faces allegations of tax evasion against its president, Claudio Tapia. The AFA has also been criticized for organizing matches against teams with lower rankings, such as Mauritania and Zambia, which received little financial benefit but gained media exposure. The AFA previously agreed to a profitable friendly match in Angola in 2025 to mark the country's 50th anniversary of independence. Eurodata Sport, the agency that organized the match with Burkina Faso, said it met its contractual obligations, but the AFA did not respond to requests for comment from AFP.