Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman | Photo credit: S. MAHINSHA
Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman said on Thursday (April 2, 2026) that the Argentine national football team had allegedly cheated the state by not coming to play the match even after receiving money for it.
Mr. Abdurahiman said he “really wanted” the Argentina football team and Lionel Messi to come to Kerala and play a match in the state.
“That’s why I held several discussions. It was also not an easy task to find sponsors to arrange the payment of ₹250 crore to the international football team. But after receiving the money, the Argentine football team cheated us. We did not expect such betrayal from them. It did not come after they promised to do it,” the minister told a TV channel.
He said that when he asked, he found out that “Argentina has done this to five other countries”.
“They took money from these countries but they never went there to play. It’s a situation where it will be necessary to file a lawsuit against the Argentine soccer team and they will have to pay us compensation,” Abdurahiman said.
“It has disappointed football lovers in Kerala. I don’t know who to tell my disappointment,” he said.
The minister had said in November 2025 that the football team of Argentina and Lionel Messi would come to Kerala in March this year.
About the candidacy in the poll
On his decision to contest from Tirur Assembly constituency instead of Tanur from where he won twice, the minister said his move was “not motivated by seeking a winning seat”.
He said he came to Tirur because it was his native place where there was lack of development and people were complaining about it. He also stated that his absence from Tanur will not result in the loss of this seat.
Published – 02 Apr 2026 11:23 IST
