Benin Coach: Argentina Blocked Shirt Swaps, Photos
Benin head coach Gernot Rohr has accused Argentina of blocking his players from swapping shirts, taking photos with Lionel Messi or even entering the tunnel after Tuesday's 3-0 farewell friendly at the Monumental.
Rohr's claims on French radio
Gernot Rohr, Benin's German head coach, laid out his grievances on French radio station RMC's programme "Rothen s'enflamme", saying his delegation's attempts to share a post-match moment with the world champions were shut down at every turn.
"The Argentinians gave our players nothing," Rohr said. "Not even a photo of Messi. We wanted to exchange jerseys, but we didn't get a single one."
The 73-year-old claimed his players and staff could not get near Argentina's dressing-room area at all after full-time in Buenos Aires. "They wouldn't even let us into their tunnel," he said. "Security was turning everyone away. Some players were even bringing their jerseys to exchange with other players. We tried everything, but it was no use."
Rohr described the whole episode as "extremely difficult" for his squad, who had arrived in Argentina hoping that a night sharing the pitch with Messi's farewell would leave them with memories — and souvenirs — to take home.
The post-match scene at the Monumental
The match itself had been built around celebration rather than competition. Argentina's 3-0 win — sealed by goals including Messi's 126th international strike from the penalty spot — gave way to a lavish post-match programme: fireworks over the Monumental and a long on-pitch speech from Messi to the 85,000-strong crowd.
According to reports of the evening, that choreographed farewell had a side effect: Argentina's security cordon kept the opposition at a distance while the celebrations unfolded. Rohr said his players made several attempts to approach Messi and the Argentina players for photos and shirt exchanges, but each attempt was rebuffed.
As of 8 October, neither the Argentine Football Association nor the Benin Football Federation had publicly commented on Rohr's claims, which remain the Benin coach's version of events.
Rohr stressed the complaint was aimed at the security arrangements and the federation’s handling of the evening, not at Messi himself — and said he hoped the incident would not overshadow what his young squad could take from the night.
The one memento Rohr did get
There was one exception, and it took persistence. Rohr had come to Buenos Aires carrying a Messi shirt from the 2018 World Cup — a piece he already owned — and managed to get it signed through Argentina's coach.
"I managed to give my 2018 Messi jersey to the coach," Rohr explained, referring to Lionel Scaloni. "He had me sign it and then gave it back to me. I waited half an hour, but it's not a big deal."
That signed shirt proved to be the only keepsake the Benin camp took from a night that, for its players, ended in disappointment off the pitch.
Benin's gesture before kick-off
The disappointment was all the sharper because Benin had come to the farewell with genuine respect for the occasion. Before kick-off, the visitors honoured Messi with a presentation: according to reports, the squad gave him a statue, a letter written by the players and a rose.
Captain Sessi D'Almeida also presented Messi with a gift as a mark of respect during the pre-match formalities. The Benin delegation further attempted to present the Argentine star with a bouquet of flowers in the country's yellow, red and green colours — but Rohr said the gesture did not lead to any meeting with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.
For the Cheetahs, ranked 89th in the world and coached by a veteran of African football, standing opposite Messi in his final Argentina appearance was meant to be the experience of a lifetime.
Rohr on the result: learning came first
Rohr was careful to separate the off-pitch frustration from the football. The German was phlegmatic about the 3-0 scoreline, insisting Benin had never travelled to Buenos Aires with the result as their priority.
"It was fantastic, but stress-free," he said. "The result wasn't the most important thing. For us, from a sporting perspective, it was about learning, about allowing our young players to have a very rich international experience."
It was a consistent message from the Benin camp all week. Goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou had told reporters before the match that Benin were not tourists in Argentina, and Rohr doubled down on that stance after it: the defeat was accepted as part of a young squad's education.
A difficult week for the Cheetahs
The post-match row capped a chaotic few days for the visitors. Benin's preparations for the farewell friendly had been blighted by reported problems with hotels and flights, controversies that surrounded the camp right up to matchday.
Against that backdrop, the squad's focus has quickly turned to more pressing business: Benin top their group in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, and Rohr's young players will need to channel the Monumental experience into results that actually count.
French journalist Romain Molina also claimed that Benin's players and staff received no match bonuses and that the Benin Football Federation received no share of the generated revenue from the friendly — though, like Rohr's shirt-swap claims, those reports had drawn no public response from either federation.
What the row says about farewell etiquette
Shirt exchanges and tunnel photos are part of football's unwritten post-match courtesies, and farewell friendlies usually produce a pile of souvenirs for the opposition. Rohr's complaint, even accounting for the security pressures of a 85,000-capacity farewell celebration, suggests this goodbye was handled differently.
Messi's farewell was always going to be an AFA production: the fireworks, the speech, the sealed-off celebration zone. For Benin's players, though, being cast as extras in someone else's night of nights — without even a photo to show for it — has left a sour taste on what should have been an unforgettable trip.
Whether the row grows into a proper dispute will depend on whether the AFA chooses to respond. For now, the images of the night remain split: Argentina celebrating a legend’s perfect send-off, and a Benin dressing room still holding onto its own jerseys.
Questions people ask
What did Benin coach Gernot Rohr claim after the Argentina friendly?
Rohr claims Benin's players were denied shirt exchanges, denied photos with Messi, and even prevented by security from entering the tunnel and dressing-room areas after the 3-0 defeat at the Monumental.
Were Benin's players really blocked from Argentina's dressing room?
Rohr said Argentina's security "was turning everyone away" and that his delegation was not even allowed into the tunnel area, let alone the dressing room, despite post-match celebrations taking place.
Did Gernot Rohr get anything from the match?
His only souvenir was a 2018 Messi shirt he had brought along himself: he handed it to Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who had Messi sign it and returned it after Rohr waited about half an hour.
Did Benin give Messi a gift before the farewell?
According to SportBible's report, Benin's players presented Messi with a statue, a letter written by the squad and a rose before kick-off, while the delegation also tried to give him a bouquet of flowers in Benin's colours.
What did Rohr say about the 3-0 defeat itself?
Rohr said the night was "fantastic, but stress-free" and that the result was not the most important thing — the experience was about learning and giving his young players a rich international night.
Has the AFA responded to the claims?
No. As of 8 October 2026, neither the Argentine Football Association nor the Benin Football Federation had publicly commented on Rohr's claims.
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