Kerala Sports Minister V.Abdurahiman slammed the Argentina Football team for allegedly deceiving the state and threatened to file a lawsuit, as they had received the money for the fixture but later cancelled the match. The Kerala Sports Minister claimed that this wasn’t an isolated incident and the same plight had occurred to five other countries, where they paid the money to the Argentinian Football team on the pretext of a match being played in their respective home soil.
Abdurahiman Claims Payment Made Despite Cancellation as Controversy Deepens Ahead of Elections
V. Abdurahiman had announced in November 2024 that the Argentinian team, led by Lionel Messi, would play a friendly match in Kochi in November 2025. However, Argentina had cancelled the friendly match in October 2025, citing a lack of readiness and logistical delays. This left a negative impact among the football enthusiasts in the state, as the visit of Lionel Messi to their home soil would have been a historical event.
"We did not expect such a betrayal from them. It is not right to promise to come and then back out after receiving funds," Kerala Sports Minister V.Abdurahiman said.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was scheduled to host the game, and INR 70 crore was earmarked for its renovation. The atmosphere for the game was building up months before the match, as Kerala is a state that celebrates football like no other, which is also visible in the support for the ISL club, Kerala Blasters FC.
Subsequently, a sum of 250 crores was demanded by the Argentine National team upon its visit, and the funds were mutually agreed upon and paid. The Sports Minister stated that the team, including the Inter Miami Superstar, Lionel Messi, cheated the state, having received the funds and not appearing for the match. His investigation further progressed into knowing that Argentina had repeated such incidents with five other countries as well.
However, these remarks have come just before the Kerala Assembly Elections, where V. Abdurahiman is contesting from the Tirur constituency. This could also be just another hollow statement to give hope to the football fans and to silence the critics of the opposition party. It will indeed be a massive statement from the Kerala Sports Minister if he takes legal action on the Argentina National Football Team for allegedly breaching the terms of the contract.
