Two Hosts, Two Very Different Welcomes: African Football Teams Share Experiences in Russia and Argentina
Two Hosts, Two Very Different Welcomes: African Football Teams Share Experiences in Russia and Argentina
For Benin, the trip to Argentina has been anything but smooth.
Ahead of their friendly against Argentina, the national team endured grueling 25-hour commercial flights, missing equipment, and hotel problems, including no hot water on one floor, Mega Sports Media reported.
The journey reportedly took its toll on the delegation: one video analyst briefly lost consciousness, while the team found a gym equipped with just two mats and two exercise bikes — and an out-of-service sauna.
Adding to the frustration, the Argentine Football Association is reportedly set to keep all revenue from the match — billed as Lionel Messi's farewell — while Benin receives nothing.
And Benin is not the first African side to voice concerns, following a similar controversy involving Burkina Faso.
Thousands of kilometers away, however, Namibia came away with a very different impression of its hosts.
Despite a 6-0 loss to Russia in a FIFA-ranking match in Yekaterinburg on October 3rd, Namibia coach Collin Benjamin had nothing but praise for the organization and hospitality.
"The level of organization in Russia is excellent, and the hospitality is very high," Benjamin said, adding that he had "nothing to complain about."
Subscribe to @sputnik_africa
