Benin resolve travel problems ahead of Argentina friendly

The logistical difficulties affecting Benin’s squad have been resolved after the team arrived in Argentina for Tuesday’s friendly against the national side, a match expected to include a ceremony marking Lionel Messi’s international retirement.

The delegation initially faced a series of problems at its hotel, including a lack of hot water, malfunctioning equipment, an unsuitable artificial training pitch and a gym that was too small.

There was also concern during the journey when Benin performance analyst Jonas Bedi reportedly suffered severe dizziness and fainted while travelling to Argentina, according to an earlier report by French newspaper Le Figaro.

However, Mega Sport Media said the situation had now stabilised following the arrangements made after the squad’s long journey.

“After the initial preparations that followed the long trip, matters have returned to normal,” the outlet reported. “The logistical organisation is now perfect. Hot water is available on the fourth floor of the hotel, all the preparation equipment has arrived and every logistical aspect is ready for work.”

The report also said the video analyst was in good health and that the coaching staff now had all the tools required to prepare properly for the high-profile fixture.

Benin’s journey from Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire to Buenos Aires, via Paris in France, lasted as long as 23 hours, according to an earlier report by the same outlet.

The team arrived in Argentina four days before the match. That preparation time contrasts with Burkina Faso’s experience, as their delegation arrived only three hours before their game against Argentina, which ended in a 7-0 defeat by the hosts.

While in Argentina, Benin’s players attended Independiente’s match against Instituto in the Argentine league early on Saturday. Instituto won the game 4-1.

The match between Argentina and Benin is scheduled to begin at 02:00 on Wednesday and will be broadcast exclusively by the Shasha Kuwait channel.