The Kerala sports department has submitted an inquiry report into the alleged lapses by the office of former sports minister V Abdurahiman surrounding the proposed visit of football star Lionel Messi and the Argentina team to the state to Kerala to play an exhibition match to chief minister VD Satheesan, sports and youth affairs minister OJ Janeesh told reporters on Tuesday.
The report, prepared under the supervision of sports department special secretary N Prasanth, has a confidential nature and has been submitted to the CM for further action, Janeesh said.
The controversy dates back to 2023, when Abdurahiman, the then sports minister, had announced that the state government was partnering with Reporter Broadcasting Corporation (RBC), which runs a 24x7 Malayalam news channel, to host the Messi-led Argentine side to play a friendly exhibition match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi at no cost to the public exchequer. The former sports minister had stated that he had even travelled to Spain to hold talks with the Argentina Football Association (AFA) officials and had claimed at one point that AFA has agreed to send the delegation, including Messi, to Kerala. However, the event failed to materialise.
“Naturally, football lovers in the state demanded an inquiry (on why the event did not happen). When we conducted necessary examinations, we felt that further investigation was required. The probe covered aspects including whether the rules and regulations in India for bringing an international player or team here were complied with,” the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}“Naturally, football lovers in the state demanded an inquiry (on why the event did not happen). When we conducted necessary examinations, we felt that further investigation was required. The probe covered aspects including whether the rules and regulations in India for bringing an international player or team here were complied with,” the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}Abdurahiman rejected all allegations of corruption and impropriety. “All efforts to host Messi and the Argentine squad were made in compliance with rules. Not a single paisa of loss has been made to the state exchequer. Efforts began to bring the Argentine squad to India with the permission of the Union finance and sports ministries. There was RBI approval for the sponsor to pay the cost (to AFA). The sponsor made the payment to AFA through a public-sector bank,” he said in a statement.
The report, parts of which were broadcast by local media, underlined that the first firm to approach the State government with an offer to sponsor the visit of the Argentine squad was registered barely 20 days ago and had a capital of just ₹1 lakh. The firm, named GoatAd, incidentally shared the same address as that of RBC, which eventually became the sponsor of the event.
The report also flagged the absence of any proof of the private sponsor having paid ₹126 crore to the AFA to facilitate the visit. It stated that there was no confirmation from the AFA that the team would play in Kerala even when the sports department wrote to the Union government requesting for permission to hold the match in October, 2025.
The report recommends further investigation into the issue either by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) or a special investigation team of the Kerala police.
The failure to bring the World Cup-winning team to Kerala had resulted in massive loss of face for the former sports minister and the LDF government, which reflected in this year’s Assembly election campaign. The UDF and the BJP distributed posters and leaflets, blaming the minister and the State government for generating false hope among football fans in the state.