Editorial & Fact-Checking Policy

argentinavsbenin.com operates under rigorous editorial standards designed to provide sports fans with truthful, verified, and reliable football coverage. This policy defines our sourcing standards, fact-checking workflows, correction procedures, and independence principles.

1. Categorization of Information: Facts vs. Analysis

We maintain a crystal-clear distinction between verified facts, developing news, and editorial analysis:

• Verified Facts: Official match dates, stadium locations, confirmed team sheets, tournament records, and FIFA ranking points that have been officially published by governing bodies (AFA, FBF, FIFA).
• Developing / Unconfirmed Information: Broadcast clearances, kickoff hour scheduling, and stadium logistics that are pending final confirmation. These items are strictly labeled as "To be confirmed" or "Expected" until official notices are released.
• Editorial Match Analysis: Tactical breakdowns, form readings, and predicted starting XIs. These represent the informed sporting opinion of our editorial team and are explicitly labeled as previews and analysis.

2. Source Hierarchy & Verification Standards

Our research methodology mandates multi-source corroboration before any unconfirmed claim is published. We prioritize sources in the following order:

1. Primary Authorities: Direct press releases, official gazettes, and verified media channels of the Argentine Football Association, the Beninese Football Federation, and FIFA.
2. Accredited Newsrooms: Reputable national and international news organisations with established sports desks (LA NACION, Infobae, ESPN, Ámbito, BBC Sport, The Athletic, Al Jazeera, Reuters).
3. Secondary Outlets: Specialty sports statistics providers (e.g. FIFA Rankings, Transfermarkt, TheSportsDB) are used only for historical data and must be verified against official archives.

3. What We Strictly Prohibit

To preserve editorial credibility and user trust, our desk adheres to zero-tolerance prohibitions against:

• Inventing or predicting real-time scores before the match has taken place.
• Publishing speculative kickoff times as "official" without federation confirmation.
• Linking to, promoting, or facilitating access to pirated or unlicensed live streams.
• Publishing clickbait headlines or misleading claims regarding player availability.

4. Correction Charter & Transparency

When an error occurs or when a previously unconfirmed detail is formalized, we update our articles immediately. Minor typographical updates are corrected inline. Material factual adjustments (e.g. squad replacements or revised kickoff hours) are logged transparently on the relevant page alongside an updated timestamp.

5. Commercial Independence & Advertising Separation

Editorial coverage on argentinavsbenin.com is produced independently of commercial sponsors and advertisers. Commercial ad placements on our site are clearly demarcated with standardized "Advertisement" labels and do not influence our editorial analysis or reporting standards. We do not accept sponsored content that dictates editorial conclusions.

6. Originality, Attribution & Human Editorial Oversight

All articles, tactical overviews, and explanatory guides are written and curated by professional sports journalists under the direction of Senior Match Editor Camila Rojas. We do not mass-republish syndication feeds or use automated tools to generate speculative content. Where historical statistics, quotes, or transfer valuations are referenced, clear citations to the originating publication or governing body are provided.

Freshness without fake updates

Changing the “last updated” date without changing a fact is not freshness. It is a trick, and it teaches readers to ignore the date. Update the date when the kick-off is set, when a squad list changes, when the score exists, and when a correction is made. The live feed on the home page is the right place for a short dated note. The article underneath should change only when the note actually alters a sentence.

Quotes are paraphrased unless the wording is short and widely published, such as Tapia’s description of the send-off. We do not invent dressing-room quotes. We do not use a player’s name in a headline that the body does not support. “Messi scores” is not a headline available to this site until he scores.