Rohr, however, admitted he secured Messi’s autograph on the striker’s shirt from the 2018 World Cup through the help of Argentina manager Scaloni.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Benin Republic head coach Gernot Rohr has expressed frustration at the attitude of Argentine players, especially Lionel Messi, towards his team during the farewell match organised for the Inter Miami forward.
He strongly condemned the behaviours of the Argentine captain and his teammates during a recent appearance on the RMC radio programme Rothen s’enflamme.
Messi on Tuesday played his last game for Argentina, scoring one goal and providing two assists to help the South Americans secure a commanding 3-0 victory in Buenos Aires.
After the encounter, cameras captured the 39-year-old snubbing Benin players who were eager to take selfies, exchange pleasantries and swap shirts with him.
Reacting to the incidents, Rohr found them deeply unsatisfactory and expressed his displeasure, along with that of his players.
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He said, “Indeed, the situation proved exceptionally challenging. We made our attempts.
“The main disappointment was that the Argentine team gave us nothing. No photograph with Messi, no jersey.
“They did not even allow us access to the tunnel, as security personnel denied entry to everyone. Some players approached them to exchange shirts, but it was clear that we would face difficulties. We exhausted all possibilities, yet received nothing in return.”
Despite their unsuccessful attempts to exchange shirts with their Argentine counterparts, Rohr managed to obtain a keepsake for himself.
According to the 73-year-old, he brought a Messi shirt from the 2018 World Cup and gave it to Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, who arranged for Messi to autograph it before returning it to him.
The former Super Eagles coach added, “We presented a bouquet of flowers in Benin’s national colours—yellow, red and green—but the gesture proved ineffective.
“Nevertheless, I gave Scaloni Messi’s 2018 shirt, and he secured Messi’s signature on it for me before returning it. However, that was the extent of our success.”
