Tunde Adelakun criticises Argentina’s conduct at Messi’s farewell

“It was as if my guys were gangsters”: Tunde Adelakun has strongly criticised Argentina’s conduct after Lionel Messi’s last match for Argentina, against Benin. This Monday, less than a week after the game, the Benin assistant coach set out his frustration in a lengthy blog post. He took particular issue with what he described as a lack of appreciation from the Argentinians towards the African side, which had been approached at short notice for the jubilee. It was a major moment in football history, but one that left Benin with a bitter aftertaste.

Benin’s players had faced Messi last week at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, in what they experienced as an unusual evening. Adelakun recalled the scale of the journey required to play in the match: “The trip… thirteen long hours from Paris to Buenos Aires, not to mention the first six hours from Abidjan to Paris and the stopover. A whole day of travel, split into three groups, to play this match.” He also stressed that the game “was monumental in every respect” and that the whole squad was proud to have been able to say goodbye to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

It was the aftermath that affected him most. “What struck me was Argentina’s categorical and obvious refusal to have any contact with my team after the match,” he said. He described quick, impersonal handshakes, followed by attempts by his players to approach Messi that were allegedly met with hostility from security staff. In his view, the Benin team was not welcome alongside the Argentinians.

The assistant coach also said that after a guard of honour had been formed for Messi, someone suggested that Benin’s players line up and applaud him. He said security staff then quickly dispersed the small group of players, a scene that prompted his comparison with “gangsters in the middle of a riot”.

Adelakun went on to describe another episode, which he called the “final straw”. During the lap of honour, Benin’s players positioned themselves in Messi’s path, but he reportedly turned towards the centre circle before reaching them. “It was another low blow for a man revered by many and seen as beyond reproach in the minds of many young Africans,” he lamented. He ended with an appeal for reciprocity: “Respect is supposed to go both ways. And in football, we show respect.”