Thiruvananthapuram: Ever since the Kerala sports department announced last year that the Argentina football team-led by Lionel Messi would play a friendly match, the state has been excited beyond description. But with the tour being called on and off multiple occasions, the delay has snowballed into a controversy in the poll-bound state.
The latest trouble ensued after the Argentine Football Association (AFA) released its November schedule Saturday, announcing the team would travel to Spain for training and then reach Luanda for their only friendly against Angola on the 14th.
That announcement disappointed football fans who were looking forward to the La Albiceleste play against Australia on 18 November. Football is a popular sport in Kerala where Latin American giants Argentina and Brazil have large fan following.
Congress and its MP Hibi Eden alleged a ‘shady deal’ between the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and sponsor businessman Anto Augustine under the pretext of bringing the Argentina team to Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
The Congress alleges that the GCDA should clarify the future of the stadium as other matches are currently suspended for the revamp after its handover to the sponsor. As per Augustine, he has spent Rs 70 crore on the renovation.
“What kind of agreement did the government make with the sponsor for this event? Do we have any official contract with the AFA? They first said they would come, and then said they wouldn’t. What is the agreement for the revamp of the Kochi stadium?” Ernakulam District Congress Committee (DCC) president Mohammed Shiyas told ThePrint, adding that there is no clarity on the ongoing works being held at the stadium or the Argentina team’s visit.
Shiyas alleged that the businessman should reveal his intention behind the works, adding that even the Kerala Football Association doesn’t know about the details of Messi’s visit.
An official with Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman’s office said there was no confusion regarding the visit. He said the state wasn’t able to submit some clearance sought by the world football body FIFA for the match, including for the stadium, due to procedural delays.
“They (AFA) informed us that they can’t come now and will come in March, and we are expecting that,” he told ThePrint.
The state, according to the official, started the preparations after the AFA committed to coming to Kerala in November. He also said the AFA had taken an initial payment of Rs 130 crore from the sponsor and sent a list of players and their requirements at various stages of communications, without specifying the specific dates.
“We just wanted Messi to play in Kerala, which would have been a big thing. For that, we can take any right method. We haven’t sold the stadium to anybody,” he clarified, adding that if the state had to do the revamp itself, it would have taken a long time after the tender process. Hence, the stadium was handed to the sponsor, who was willing to take up the work.
On Tuesday, Sports Minister Aburahiman reiterated that the clearance for the stadium will be granted once the works are completed. The decision to hand over the stadium to the sponsor was made transparently, he added.
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Confusion, delays
The minister had made the announcement regarding Messi’s proposed visit in November last year, after repeated communications with the AFA. It started after Argentina, which won the 2022 FIFA World Cup under the captaincy of Messi, tweeted a ‘thank-you’ message for its fans in Asia, specifically mentioning Kerala. Later, the team approached the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for two friendly matches, but the Federation declined due to budget constraints.
Post this, Abdurahiman vowed to explore possibilities to bring the team. He had traveled to Spain in September 2024 to hold talks with the AFA officials.
However, the preparations ran into several problems as the Kerala government failed to secure a sponsor in 2024. Anto Augustine, the managing director of Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC), confirmed its sponsorship earlier this year.
Amid efforts from the government and the RBC, there was confusion regarding confirmation from different quarters due to the lack of confirmation from the FIFA or the Argentina team. Meanwhile, the AFA announced in August that it would play two friendly matches in Angola and Kerala in November.
AFA venue manager Hector Daniel Cabrera inspected the Kochi stadium in September, strengthening hopes of the much-awaited friendly match. Messi had last visited India in 2011 when Argentina played a friendly match with Venezuela at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.
The state government had announced around the same time that it was thinking of a way to organise an event or a rally to ensure that everyone, despite costly tickets, could see the international football star.
The sports minister’s office said the government issued an order permitting the RBC to communicate with AFA about the proposed visit. The Sports Kerala Foundation, a government PSU, is monitoring the football team’s visit and details.
On Monday, Eden said trees have been cut on the property since the revamp, and there is no clarity on permission. The GCDA should reveal its master plan and plan for the stadium, he demanded.
“Kerala needs to know what the deal was behind this. There is a question over the Kochi stadium. If there is uncertainty, what will happen to league matches that are being held there? The Greater Cochin Authority should answer this. There is a shady financial deal behind this, with the knowledge of the sports minister,” the Congress MP told the media in Kochi.
Meanwhile, Augustine said the revamped stadium would be returned to the GCDA after 30 November.
“It’s a government project. First, the match was decided in Thiruvananthapuram, and later we shifted to Kochi as we have a football stadium and it’s easier to get FIFA approval. I was asked to revamp it for the same, and I did. There is no other agenda behind it,” he told the media on Monday, adding that there was no agenda behind this handover.
The stadium, under GCDA, was under contract with him and the Sports Kerala Foundation, he clarified. “Work is continuing even now and the stadium will have FIFA approval after 30 November.” None, including the AIFF, knew that the stadium didn’t have FIFA clearance, he said.
“I just wanted to bring an international match and improve our sports culture. If the match doesn’t happen, I will have a huge loss. I will bear it. I haven’t gotten any money from anyone and haven’t sold any tickets.”
Kerala, former Indian footballer Anas Edathodika told ThePrint, lacks international-level football stadiums. The state failed to maintain the Kochi stadium and the ground after the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017, he added.
“There is a large question about what Messi’s visit would do to Kerala football. It would bring joy and people would be able to see him, but what would Kerala football benefit from it?”
“It’s a good thing that it’s happening. But what is the point of making it a political event?” he contended, adding that the event shouldn’t be about the Congress or the Communist government.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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