Angola spent $13 million and sold tickets for $1 to host Messi and Argentina

Tonight, Kerala will once again be reminded of how it missed out on hosting Lionel Messi and his Argentine national team when the world champions play a friendly match in Angola.

The match between Angola and Argentina will take place at the Estadio 11 de Novembro near Luanda, starting at 9.30 pm IST. The match is being held to commemorate Angola's 50th anniversary of independence.

Argentina were expected to play one more match in the November window (on 17th) at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi. That match was called off as the venue allegedly did not meet the safety/security demands of FIFA. The state government and a private broadcasting company, which claimed to be the sponsor, had publicised the Messi visit to Kerala for nearly two years before it fell through unceremoniously.

Meanwhile, Angola's date with Argentina and its talisman Messi managed to stay on schedule despite local protests over the expenditure involved. According to various reports from Africa, the state has spent about $13 million to host Argentina.

That said, the ticket prices at the 48,000-capacity venue were nominal by global standards. According to various African news portals, tickets were priced between $1.6 and $60 (approximately ₹150- ₹5,000).

To put that into perspective, tickets for Messi's G.O.A.T India Tour in December cost four times more, with Corporate Box seats in Delhi being sold online for ₹20,650. The G.O.A.T India Tour features a series of exhibition events promoted by Messi himself. Matches and fun activities are scheduled in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad as part of the event.

Meanwhile, Angolan news portal Correio Da Kianda reported that more than 45,000 tickets for the Argentina friendly on November 14 were sold out two days ago. It also reported the illegal sale of tickets for ten times the cost. According to Correio Da Kianda, tickets priced at 1,500 Kwanzas ($ 1.6) were sold in the black market for 15,000 Kwanzas ($16).

Videos of a massive reception given to Messi and the Argentina team upon arrival in Luanda Thursday night have gone viral.