Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman on Thursday (April 2, 2026) said that the Argentina football team allegedly deceived the State by not coming to play a match even after receiving money for it.
Mr. Abdurahiman said that he had “really wanted” the Argentina football team and Lionel Messi to come to Kerala and play a match in the State.
Messi-led Argentina football team drops Kerala trip over scheduling clash, says State Minister
"For that, I had held several discussions. It was also not an easy task to find sponsors to arrange the ₹250 crore to be paid to the international football team. But, after receiving the money, the Argentine football team cheated us. We did not expect such a betrayal from them. Not coming after promising to do so," the Minister told a TV channel
He said that when he enquired, he found out that “Argentina had done this to five other countries.”
