Messi and Argentina team to play in Kerala? Minister heads to Spain for talks

Will Lionel Messi set foot in Kerala? Yes, if all goes well, the legendary footballer and the Argentinian team will play a game in the state, possibly in 2025. For those who are not in the loop, Kerala goes crazy when it comes to football, especially Latin American teams such as Brazil and Argentina.

To set the ball rolling, Kerala's Sports Minister V Abdurahiman is heading for Spain to invite the Argentinian football team to Kerala; not just that, the trip is part of a bigger plan "to make Kerala a sports economy".

The Minister, along with the director and secretary of the sports department, will leave for Madrid on Wednesday (September 4).

Confirming the development, V Abdurahiman told The Federal, "We are all set to leave for Spain tomorrow. Having sensed huge potential, we have lined up big plans to develop sports in the state. After tourism, sports is going to be the biggest thing in Kerala. What we have in mind is to create what you can call a sports economy. For that, we need to build infrastructure. The idea is to get international clubs, players, and experts from every part of the world and the country."     

This visit follows the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) refusal of an invitation from the Argentine Football Association for a friendly match in India last year. When AIFF turned down the invitation citing high cost, the Kerala government decided to chip in and try its part, given the state's huge fan following for the Argentine team.

Massive spending on sports

The minister said the government is spending Rs 2,500 crore and is making efforts to attract more private investment in the state.

"The Kerala Cricket Association has set aside Rs 1,200 crore and it's building a state-of-the-art cricket stadium in Kochi. The Kerala Football Association is spending Rs 600 crore to promote football in the state," said Sports Minister V Abdurahiman.

Asked about the possibility of the Argentina team landing in Kerala, the minister said, "In fact, we are going at the invitation of the Argentine Football officials only. We will have detailed discussions with them at Madrid. We did have discussions earlier as well."  

When Argentina thanked Kerala fans

In fact, the ball was set rolling in 2022 itself.

After Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2022 title win in Qatar in 2022, Argentina expressed gratitude for Kerala's overwhelming support and promised to provide football training to children in the state. Franco Agustin Senilliani Melchior, Commercial Head of Argentina’s Embassy in India, visited Kerala House in New Delhi to thank Malayalee fans.

“We did not expect such support for Argentina from Kerala. It was amazing,” Melchior said then.