Benin Boss Says Players Were Denied Messi Photos and Argentina Shirt Swaps
Gernot Rohr said Benin’s players were denied shirt swaps and photos after Argentina’s farewell match for Messi.
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Benin head coach Gernot Rohr says his players were unable to exchange shirts with Argentina or get a photograph with Lionel Messi after the forward’s international farewell.
Argentina won Tuesday’s friendly 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. For Rohr, however, the disappointment came after the final whistle.
Speaking to RMC’s Rothen s’enflamme programme, he said his squad’s attempts to collect souvenirs ended with security blocking access to the Argentina players’ corridor.
“The Argentinians didn’t give our players anything, not even a photo with Messi,” Rohr said.
“We wanted to exchange shirts, but we didn’t get any. They wouldn’t even allow us to enter their player corridor. Security was turning everyone away.”
Rohr said players had approached with their own shirts, hoping to exchange them with their opponents, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
His complaint concerned the post-match access arrangements. He did not say that Messi had personally instructed security to turn Benin’s players away.
Despite the frustration, Rohr praised the opportunity to share the pitch with Messi and described playing at the Monumental as an extraordinary experience for his squad.
He stressed that the result was secondary to what his young players could learn from the occasion, calling the overall experience wonderful.
