Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman on Sunday dismissed what he called a “malicious” campaign spreading misinformation about the planned visit of the Argentina football team, including World Cup winner Lionel Messi, to the state.
“The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has not informed us that their national team will not come to Kerala for the scheduled friendly match in October 2025,” Abdurahiman said, adding that the government-appointed sponsor had already transferred the match fee to the AFA with Reserve Bank of India approval.
According to the Minister, the AFA has recently requested to postpone the visit to 2026, but the state has rejected this. He also clarified that allegations of the government spending Rs 100 crore to bring the team were false, noting that the project was funded through sponsorship, with Union Ministries of Sports, External Affairs, and Finance giving their approval.
He also pointed out that there was also a false propaganda that the minister had spent Rs 13 lakh on a foreign trip. The Minister said that discussions with AFA officials began online and were finalised in Madrid, Spain, leading to an agreement with the sponsor. Plans under consideration include Argentina Soccer Schools, sports training academies, and local coach training in Kerala.
Abdurahiman stressed that the foreign trip was not solely to invite the Argentine team. Meetings were also held with La Liga and the Spanish Higher Sports Council to explore cooperation in sports science, infrastructure development, sports curricula revision, para football, and financial support.
Promoting the sports economy is a key goal of Kerala’s new sports policy, which aims to triple the value of the state’s $200 million sports market in five years. The Minister said the Rs 8.4 crore allocated in the 2025–26 state budget for sports development covers international cooperation, including inviting global teams and hosting matches.
Kerala already has collaborations with the Netherlands Football Association, Victoria University in Australia, Italy’s AC Milan, and Cuba’s sports institutions. Initiatives such as the “Goal” project aim to train five lakh people in football, with multiple academies, two of them for women,already established.
“The visit of Lionel Messi and the Argentina team will be the biggest gift this government can give football fans in Kerala. Their presence will inspire our players and boost the state’s tourism and economy,” Abdurahiman said.
