Published Aug 13, 2026 | 9:34 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 13, 2026 | 9:34 AM
A huge cutout of Messi erected in a river in Kozhikode, Kerala, during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Synopsis: The former LDF government’s much-hyped promise to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina team to Kerala has come back under scrutiny, with an internal inquiry flagging alleged financial and procedural lapses in the handling of the project. While former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman reject the allegations, the demand for further probes and fresh questions over the deal have turned the failed Messi promise into a new political headache for the LDF.
The Messi dream is back to haunt the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Once projected as a landmark attempt to bring football superstar Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to Kerala, the move has now opened a fresh political front. Allegations of financial and procedural lapses during the previous LDF government have come under scrutiny following an internal inquiry.
As demands grow for a Vigilance probe and investigations by central agencies, former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman have rejected the allegations, insisting that there was no wrongdoing.
Lionel Messi. Credit: x.com/leomessisite
But the controversy is refusing to die down.
Current Sports Minister OJ Janeesh has alleged that Abdurahiman committed a serious breach of the oath of office and misused his position in the efforts to bring Messi to Kerala. He questioned the financial dealings and the procedures followed by the then LDF government and the private sponsor, Reporter Broadcasting Company.
For the LDF, now in the Opposition, a project once sold as a footballing dream is fast turning into a political headache.
Also Read: Anatomy of a football fiasco in Kerala
It all started when a group of football enthusiasts from Malappuram petitioned Sports Minister Janeesh seeking scrutiny of the previous LDF government’s announcements and the sponsor’s financial dealings into the Messi plan.
The probe was kept confidential, with files, correspondence and information from several departments examined. Special Secretary (Sports) N Prashanth carried out the inquiry.
Though the report was submitted as a confidential document, excerpts from the 98-page inquiry have since emerged, bringing several of its key findings into the public domain.
Prashanth submitted a report flagging serious procedural and financial lapses in the previous LDF government’s efforts to bring Messi and the Argentina football team to Kerala. He recommended vigilance and other investigations into the project.
The report said key decisions were taken under the direction of the then Chief Minister, Sports Minister and Chief Secretary without adequate scrutiny by the Law Department. It also recommended a vigilance probe into the use of government facilities for an event organised by a private company while creating an impression of direct government involvement.
Minister Janeesh has also confirmed some of the findings flagged in the report, lending credence to the details contained in the leaked excerpts.
V Abdurahiman during his visit to Spain in 2024.
The project was estimated to cost ₹210 crore against projected revenue of ₹82 crore. Despite the ₹128-crore gap, the private sponsorship arrangement was reportedly finalised without prior scrutiny by the Finance Department. The sponsor’s financial capacity was also not properly verified.
The report raised questions over the selection of Reporter Broadcasting Company without a tender or adequate background check. It also flagged the appointment of an overseas collection agent and recommended investigating possible foreign exchange violations, money laundering and suspected black-money transactions.
The inquiry found no official record confirming that the Argentine Football Association had accepted the invitation sent from the former Sports Minister’s office. It also questioned the handover of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi to the sponsor despite FIFA registration requirements.
Abdurahman’s 2024 Madrid trip has also come under scrutiny, with the report calling for examination of its purpose and expenditure.
The report is currently before Chief Minister VD Satheesan.
Also Read: UP police officer raps Argentina sports body’s ‘thank you’ tweet
Janeesh has accused Abdurahman of a “serious breach of oath of office” and misuse of official power in the efforts to bring Messi to Kerala, questioning the manner in which private interests allegedly used the government machinery.
The minister said it was not enough to claim that the government had suffered no financial loss when a private party could have exploited the system for profit.
He said proper procedures were not followed and announced that the Finance and Law departments and other agencies would examine the matter in detail.
Janeesh said the Sports Department became directly involved in seeking central approval, although the process did not move through established official channels.
The chain of correspondence began with an email from an advertising firm, which had been registered only recently.
The minister questioned why the credibility and track record of a company with a paid-up capital of just ₹1 lakh were not verified before discussions involving a global football star were initiated.
Janeesh said senior department officials were unaware of the correspondence, carried out over nearly two years through the former minister’s official and personal email accounts. He said the possibility of personal interests being involved in keeping the communications away from departmental scrutiny could not be ruled out.
He also pointed to references to Ameerah Ayesha Begum, an assistant professor of English with MES College, Ponnani, in the correspondence and copies of the former minister’s letters being sent to her. The Kerala Football Association and All India Football Federation, he noted, did not figure in the discussions.
Janeesh said the nearly ₹14 lakh spent from the state exchequer on the former minister’s Spain visit could constitute financial loss. He also questioned the handling of the proposed ₹126-crore sponsorship agreement.
The Sports Department has completed its inquiry and handed the file to the Finance and Law departments for further examination.
Janeesh said the government’s priority should be to create “new Messis” from Kerala rather than bring Messi to the state.
Also Read: Messi in Kerala, where football is a mess
At the same time, Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan—the former chief minister—rejected allegations and backed Abdurahiman.
Pinarayi Vijayan at the Embassy of Argentina in New Delhi.
Vijayan said Abdurahiman had already clarified the procedures followed for bringing the 2022 World Cup-winning Argentine team to Kerala. He said there was no need for the former minister to enter into any special agreement to travel to Spain, as the agreement for a friendly match was between the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the private sponsor.
“There was no irregularity in these transactions,” Vijayan said, adding that those demanding an investigation should first explain what exactly needs to be probed.
He said the Kaloor stadium had been handed over to the sponsor for preparations for an international match. Vijayan alleged that attempts to turn the issue into a controversy were aimed at diverting attention from more serious problems.
Abdurahiman, meanwhile, maintained that all government-level procedures had been followed.
The Union Sports and Finance Ministries had given the required clearances, and the Reserve Bank of India had permitted the payment to the sponsor, he said. The sponsor transferred the amount to AFA through a public sector bank.
He said the Sports Secretary’s application was the basis for permissions from the Union ministries, dismissing claims that the Sports Department was unaware of the arrangements.
Abdurahiman also rejected allegations that the sponsor received stadium rights in return for renovating the Kaloor stadium. He said the government had issued an order making the sponsor responsible for all financial liabilities connected with the match.
The initiative, he said, was part of the previous LDF government’s efforts to promote sports through international collaborations and allow Kerala’s football fans to watch Messi and the Argentine side in action.
Abdurahiman’s promise to bring Argentina’s football team to the state has travelled a long and eventful road, beginning soon after the team lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
A social media post by the then Sports Minister in June 2025 saying Messi will come
In December 2022, Abdurahiman extended the first invitation, congratulating Argentina on its triumph and expressing Kerala’s desire to host the world champions.
By June 2023, the minister said Chief Minister Vijayan had met the Argentine Ambassador in Delhi and expressed Kerala’s interest in football cooperation.
Abdurahiman said he had also written to the Argentine team and its football association, inviting Messi and his teammates to Kerala. He said the presence of the world champions could provide a major boost to football in the state and that Kerala was ready to host a match.
The promise grew bigger in January 2024.
Following an online meeting with Argentine Football Association (AFA) officials, Abdurahiman said discussions had covered cooperation in developing Kerala football. He even announced that Argentina would play two friendlies in Kerala.
June 2024 was initially considered, he said, but the monsoon made that difficult, with October 2025 later emerging as a possibility.
In September 2024, Abdurahiman and senior sports officials travelled to Spain and met AFA representatives in Madrid. The possibility of Kerala hosting international friendlies was discussed, with the association expressing interest in visiting the state.
By June 2025, the minister was again publicly asserting that Messi would come to Kerala.
Despite the slew of announcements, meetings and repeated assurances, the much-publicised promise to bring Messi and the Argentina team to Kerala never materialised, leaving football-crazy fans waiting for the promised spectacle.
The failure to deliver eventually triggered allegations that the promise was little more than a political ploy, with critics accusing the then LDF government of hoodwinking the state’s football fan base for electoral gains.
The Argentina-Messi promise soon became more than a football story.
It turned into a political campaign talking point, particularly in Tirur, where Abdurahiman contested the Assembly election. The much-publicised promise could not translate into electoral success. He was defeated by a margin of more than 24,000 votes.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
