Kerala govt's partner accuses Argentine Football Association of scamming ₹130 crore by promising Messi visit
A day after Sports Minister V Abdurahiman confirmed that the Messi visit to Kerala was off, Anto Augustine of the Reporter Broadcasting Company has claimed the AFA failed to honour its word after taking a hefty payment.
A day after Sports Minister V Abdurahiman confirmed that the Messi visit to Kerala was off, Anto Augustine of the Reporter Broadcasting Company has claimed the AFA failed to honour its word after taking a hefty payment.
A day after Sports Minister V Abdurahiman confirmed that the Messi visit to Kerala was off, Anto Augustine of the Reporter Broadcasting Company has claimed the AFA failed to honour its word after taking a hefty payment.
Kerala government's commercial partner for its ambitious project to bring Lionel Messi to the state has accused the Argentine Football Association (AFA) of cheating after accepting a payment of ₹130 crore (approximately $14.8 million).
Anto Augustine, Managing Director of Reporter Broadcasting Company, the firm entrusted with reaching an agreement to bring the World Champions, has claimed the AFA has not honoured its word. He said that, according to their contract signed last year, the Argentine men's team, specifically including Messi, was supposed to play two friendly matches in Kerala, either in the FIFA window in October (6-14) or in November (10-18).
"But now they are saying, how about September 2026? That is not ok for us. The World Cup is scheduled to begin in June, and we are not sure if Argentina will be world champions again. The deal was to have the 2022 World Champions play in Kerala this year," Augustine said.
He claimed that as part of the contract, ₹130 crore was sent to the AFA from his/organisation's SBI account on June 6. "They confirmed the receipt of the payment and thanked us for our patience," Augustine claimed.
Kerala's Sports Minister V Abdurahiman said on Monday that Messi's visit to the state was not taking place. For more than a year, the minister had repeatedly reassured football fans in Kerala that Messi's visit was on schedule.
However, on Monday, Abdurahiman said: "If they had agreed to come in October, then they should stick to that schedule. Next year is an election year, and their proposal to play in March is not acceptable."
The minister said the AFA must bear the losses incurred by the sponsors due to the cancellation. Augustine has claimed that the money he sent was from his personal account and not raised otherwise.
The development comes in the wake of reports that Messi will tour four North Indian cities in December. There are reports that Messi will visit Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi, with exhibition events scheduled at the Eden Gardens and the Wankhede Stadium. As per the schedule that has been put out in the public domain, Kerala is not on Messi's itinerary.