A Messi visit that never happened: Kerala inquiry report unearths financial, procedural irregularities

“The whole effort to bring Messi to Kerala has been a fairly messy affair,” says the inquiry report of the Kerala Sports Department into the previous government’s failed bid to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to the state. 

Notably, a private company, Reporter Broadcasting Corporation (RBC), was the sponsor for the effort. The report says the government machinery was misused to confer “substantial unwarranted market credibility and commercial advantage” on RBC, while exposing the government to major legal and financial liabilities that could have been avoided.

The report also notes that while funds and efforts were disproportionately diverted towards the private event, basic departmental priorities—including assistance to sportspersons and award amounts exceeding ₹11 crore—remained unpaid.

The inquiry report, prepared by Sports Department Special Secretary N. Prasanth and submitted to Sports Minister O.J. Janeesh, says the document received from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) was neither a formal commitment letter addressed to the Kerala government nor a legally binding assurance. It was merely a brochure. The inquiry found that the previous government had misinterpreted the document as a final confirmation of the event.

The report further notes that despite the absence of a final commitment from the AFA, any agreement guaranteeing the participation of prominent players, including Messi, or official FIFA/AIFF approval for a match, the government sent a letter to the Union government claiming that Argentina’s official World Cup squad would visit Kerala.

The inquiry report also flags serious procedural and financial irregularities.

“In a mega project in which the anticipated total expenditure was assessed at ₹210 crore, the revenue at ₹82 crore, the financial gap at ₹128 crore and the AFA match fee alone at ₹198 crore, adopting a private-sponsorship model without achieving proper financial closure bypassed the scrutiny of the Finance Department and was contrary to Article 40 of the Kerala Financial Code,” the report says.

It further reveals that RBC and the AFA had executed a final agreement on December 20, 2024—four days before the government formally approved the sponsorship on December 24, 2024, and weeks before it permitted the execution of the agreement on January 7, 2025.

The report also notes that the government permitted a foreign remittance of $15 million through TourProdEnter LLC, a third-party foreign intermediary, without adequate background checks on the entity or independent verification of bank remittance records. Notably, TourProdEnter LLC, which has handled international sponsorship deals for the Argentine Football Association, is now reportedly under investigation by the FBI over allegations that it helped funnel more than $300 million in international sponsorship funds through US banks as part of a potential money-laundering and wire-fraud scheme.

Notably, the Kerala Sports Department inquiry report recommends that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or other competent central financial investigative agencies examine whether the transactions related to the proposed Messi visit to Kerala complied with the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). It also recommends tracing the actual source and flow of the funds and determining whether the amount should be refunded or recovered, since the proposed match did not take place. The report says the matter warrants examination by central agencies as it involves an international money trail.

The inquiry also calls for a wider examination of how the private operator, RBC, was selected, describing the process as non-transparent and arbitrary. It flags ministerial-level email communications and correspondence allegedly undertaken without the knowledge of the department, the subsequent entry into an international arrangement, and the execution of agreements without following prescribed procedures.

The report also seeks scrutiny of the foreign visit led by the former Sports Minister, the agency that drafted the agreement, and the alleged diversion of government machinery for the proposed event. It says the use of government machinery to facilitate an international sporting event merely on the basis of a high-level meeting caused public loss, eroded trust in the government and damaged the state’s administrative credibility.

Among the other issues flagged are alleged freebies and tax waivers granted to RBC in violation of rules, and the unauthorised handing over and structural alteration of a public international stadium without a legally valid agreement.

The inquiry notes that the government files contain no agreement guaranteeing the visit of Messi or the Argentina team to Kerala. Yet, despite the alleged violations, government benefits were extended to RBC on the basis of a two-page order issued by former Chief Secretary A Jayathilak on October 15, 2025.

The report recommends that these matters be examined by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) or a Special Vigilance Investigation Team.