New Delhi: Kerala’s Sports Minister V Abdurahiman remains optimistic that Lionel Messi-led Argentina will be travelling to the state to play a friendly match later this year. His comments have come amid reports that Messi and Argentina won’t be travelling to Kerala due to the government and the sponsors failing to raise the required sum for the much-anticipated game.
Some media reports have also claimed that there were contract issues between the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) and the sponsors, which led to the tour getting called off. However, Abdurahiman has stated that Messi-led Argentina might still visit Kerala to play a friendly match. The Kerala Sports Minister said there is a delay in the process, but no confusion on the sponsors’ part.
“So, as of now, we cannot say that Messi and the Argentina team will not come to Kerala. Though there was some delay in some aspects, there is no confusion at present,” Abdurahiman told reporters.
“But, the first sponsor could not meet the RBI’s eligibility criteria. So, as per the request of the Reporter, we gave the sponsorship to them and they received necessary clearances from the RBI to go ahead. So, I still hope that Messi and his team will come to Kerala. There is no need to think negatively at the moment. The government’s objective is to bring more popularity to football in the state,” he added.
As per a report in The Hindu, the talks between the Kerala government and the Argentinian Football Association collapsed after the sponsors failed to raise an advance amount of Rs 30 crore that was needed to sign the agreement between the two parties. A sum of around Rs 100 crore would be required in total to bring the reigning world champions to India.
However, an advance of Rs 30 crore was to be paid three months back to secure the agreement, which was not honoured by the sponsors. The Kerala government had initially chosen the Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants’ Association as the main sponsor for the event. However, the association backed out after facing hurdles in securing clearances from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The Kerala government later roped in Reporter Broadcasting Company, a Kochi-based broadcasting company as the new sponsor. Reporter is now working on figuring out the finances to get the agreement done, and Abdurahiman’s latest comments have sparked hope among football fans in Kerala, who would not want to miss the chance of witnessing Messi in action in their state.
Argentina confirm their international friendlies
The chances of Argentina visiting Kerala appear slim despite optimism from Sports Minister Abdurahiman as the Argentinian Football Association has already confirmed the team’s international friendly fixtures to be played in October, November this year. Argentina will be playing friendly matches in Qatar, Angola and China this year.
There was no mention of India or Kerala in the official fixtures released by AFA. However, if the Kerala government manages to convince AFA to let Argentina play a friendly in India in a last-minute dash, it will be Messi’s second visit to India. The Argentine legend visited India for the first time in September 2011 when Argentina locked horns with Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman has expressed optimism about Lionel Messi-led Argentina travelling to Kerala for a friendly match despite the government failing to secure a sponsor for the game. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
