Messi's Kerala visit: How did sponsor represent govt without approval?

More violations have surfaced in the agreement between Reporter Broadcasting Company and the Argentina Football Association (AFA) to bring the Argentina football team to Kerala, including the sponsor's representation of the state government without authorisation.

Questions have been raised over who authorised the sponsor to sign an agreement in the name of the government and how government details were included in the agreement before official approval was granted.

Records show that the AFA cancelled its agreement with the sponsor twice after the latter delayed payments.

The sponsor had signed an agreement with the AFA on December 20, 2024, while government approval for the initiative was obtained only 18 days later. The government was not informed about the agreement at the time.

The agreement also stated that the project was being undertaken with the cooperation of the state government. However, the Sports Department has found that the state government and the sponsor have not signed any agreement or memorandum of understanding regarding the Argentina team's proposed visit.

The documents related to the AFA agreement were not shared with the Sports Department. Even when the agreement was renewed twice later, the sponsor did not formally inform the government about it.

The agreement has also raised questions over the inclusion of former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman's official email address. It was one of two email addresses provided by the sponsor for communication.

U Sharafali, who was then president of the Kerala Sports Council, was listed as a witness to the agreement. Apart from Reporter Broadcasting Company managing director Anto Augustine, Sharafali was the only person from Kerala who signed the document. Questions have now been raised over who authorised him to sign it.

The agreement also stated that the Sports Department would arrange security for the Argentina team. This has raised questions about who provided such an assurance before the government had formally approved the project.

Sports Department sought help to waive penalty
The Sports Department had also sought the intervention of the Indian ambassador to Argentina to waive a $4 million penalty imposed on the sponsor by the AFA for delayed payment, documents show.

A letter sent by the Sports Department to the Indian ambassador in Argentina in July last year sought intervention to have the penalty imposed on Reporter Broadcasting Company waived.

The letter was written by then Sports Department Secretary A P M Mohammed Haneesh on the instructions of former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman. The department cited the need to protect the state's financial interests and described the agreement for the Argentina team's visit as one involving the state government.

The letter appears to contradict Abdurahiman's earlier claim that the state government had not signed an agreement with anyone in connection with the Argentina team's proposed visit.