Kochi: The move to organise a match of the Argentina football team in Kerala was initiated by the former LDF Government in the state. However, the move soon turned into an event management programme of a private firm.

The agreement to arrange a visit of the South American team, led by football legend Lionel Messi, was signed with the Argentina Football Association (AFA) by Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC). As per the documents released by Reporter television channel, under RBC, the contract was signed in 2024. The channel also claimed that the documents were proof of the contract signed by Anto Augustine, managing director of RBC with Claudio Fabian Tapia and Victor Blanco Rodriguez, president and general secretary respectively of AFA. Reporter TV also stated that the agreement was signed with the approval of the Kerala Sports Department.

Even though RBC was introduced by the state government as a ‘sponsor’ while announcing that Argentina would play in Kerala, the government later entrusted the private firm with all tasks related to the visit, including the travel, stay and organisation of friendly games. In other words, the entire responsibility of the visit was passed on to RBC.

However, while Reporter TV displayed certain visuals, claiming to be the contract for Messi’s visit, it did not release the contract publicly. As per the channel, the contract could not be released because it was under the consideration of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the international court based in Switzerland resolving disputes in sport.

‘Public money not lost’
Responding to the issue, RBC managing director Anto Augustine said neither the government nor the people of the state had lost any money in the deal signed with AFA. “The RBC has suffered the entire loss of ₹126 crore which occurred in the deal. After Argentina went back on its word and RBC lost the money, we filed a case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. The case is now under the consideration of the court,” he said.

As per RBC, its loss is ₹126 crore. However, earlier reports had said that AFA had demanded ₹330 crore for the visit of its team and the amount was paid in two phases of ₹140 crore and ₹190 crore. Similarly, while RBC had claimed that it incurred an expenditure of ₹70 crore for the modernisation of the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi, the proposed venue of the match, recent reports indicate that the actual amount spent was ₹26 crore.