Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman has accused Argentina football team, led by Lionel Messi, of “cheating” and alleged a scam after claiming the team failed to honour its commitment to play a friendly match in the state despite receiving full payment.
Speaking to a local channel, Abdurahiman said Kerala had made extensive preparations to host the reigning World Cup champions, describing the effort as a project driven by both ambition and emotion.
“I really wanted the Argentina team and Lionel Messi to come to Kerala and play a match here. We held several discussions for that. It was not easy to find sponsors to arrange the ₹250 crore required to bring a team of that stature,” he said.
However, he alleged that despite receiving the agreed payment, the team did not follow through on its promise.
“But after receiving the money, the Argentine team cheated us. We did not expect such a betrayal from them—not coming after promising to do so,” he added.
The match was originally scheduled to be held in Kochi on November 17, with Argentina set to face Australia at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium. Representatives of the Argentina Football Association had inspected the venue in September, and the visit was part of La Albiceleste’s provisional November schedule during the FIFA international window. However, the fixture was delayed due to clearance issues and was eventually not finalised.
Abdurahiman further claimed that Kerala was not an isolated case, alleging a broader pattern involving the Argentine team and demanding compensation.
“When we enquired, we found that they had done this in five other countries as well. They took money but never went there to play. It is a situation where a case will have to be filed, and they will have to pay compensation,” he said.
Messi did travel to India later in December, but not with the national team. The visit was part of a promotional ‘GOAT Tour’, during which he attended fan events across Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi between December 13 and 15, alongside players like Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul.
