Benin head coach Gernot Rohr has lamented that his players were denied the chance to exchange shirts with Argentine players and take photos with Lionel Messi at the 39-year-old's farewell game in Buenos Aires.
Argentina defeated Benin 3-0, and according to Rohr, his players were banned from engaging with the Argentina squad afterwards.
He said attempts to engage in the shirt-swapping tradition proved abortive, leaving his players exiting the stadium empty-handed.
"My players tried everything, but nothing worked," Rohr told RMC Sport.
"The Argentinians didn’t give our players anything, not even a photo with Messi. We wanted to exchange shirts, but we didn’t get any. They wouldn’t even allow us to enter their player corridor. Security was turning everyone away. Players were coming with their shirts hoping to swap them with Argentina players."
He admitted, however, that it was an extraordinary experience for his players to share a pitch with Messi.
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