"After receiving the money, the Argentine football team cheated us." That's Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, and he's not mincing words.
The minister spent months organising what would have been a landmark fixture — Argentina, Lionel Messi, playing in Kerala. He says he held numerous discussions and sourced Rs 250 crore in sponsorship to make it happen. The money was paid. Argentina never came.
Not just Kerala
What makes this worse than a simple cancellation is the pattern Abdurahiman claims to have uncovered. When he started asking questions, he says he found that Argentina did the same thing to five other countries — took fees, made commitments, didn't travel.
"They took money from those countries, but never went there to play," he said, adding that legal action and compensation are now on the table.
The November announcement had promised an arrival in March. Football fans across Kerala had been waiting for a chance to see Messi on home soil — one of the few global superstars who could genuinely move the needle in a state that takes club and international football seriously. That anticipation makes the no-show land harder.
"It has disappointed the football lovers in Kerala. I don't know to whom I will tell my disappointment," Abdurahiman said.
The Argentine Football Association hasn't responded publicly to the allegations. Whether this ends in court or in a quiet settlement, Rs 250 crore is not a figure that disappears without consequences. And if the five-country claim holds up, this becomes a significantly bigger story than one cancelled friendly.
