Burkina Faso stranded in Morocco before Argentina friendly match

Burkina Faso's national football team remained stuck in Casablanca, Morocco on Friday evening, October 3, unable to travel to Buenos Aires for a scheduled friendly match against Argentina set for October 4. A chartered flight scheduled for September 30 was cancelled without advance notice by the transport company, forcing the team to reorganise its travel plans. The Burkina Faso Football Federation confirmed the disruption in an official statement, noting that the country's sports ministry, the Moroccan embassy, and federation officials were working to find an alternative solution.

Beyond the logistical flight cancellation, deeper disputes emerged over match conditions. Argentine media reports indicated that Burkina Faso players refused to travel via a long commercial flight with multiple stops, instead demanding a chartered aircraft similar to arrangements offered to other African nations. Additionally, financial disagreements surfaced: the Argentine Football Association, working through events organiser Eurodata Sport Ltd, had agreed to cover accommodation, meals, and transport costs but offered no participation bonus or revenue share from ticket sales—a pattern repeated with other African teams including Mauritania and Benin. In response, Burkina Faso players refused training sessions despite coach Amir Abdou's wishes, and some sources reported the squad ultimately declined to travel even after a charter flight was arranged, citing organisational failures beyond flight duration concerns.

The Argentina Football Association faced pressure to resolve the dispute quickly, as the friendly was part of a three-match series. Argentina had defeated Bolivia 4–0 on Wednesday in Córdoba and was scheduled to face Benin on Tuesday, October 6 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires—billed as a farewell match for Lionel Messi. By late Friday, less than 48 hours before kickoff, negotiations were ongoing to determine whether the match would proceed.