'Lionel Messi's Argentina to Kerala' saga is back with a fresh development. Not long after the World Champions' arrival to the southern state in the November international window was officially called off, Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman has now declared that the tour will indeed happen.
The Sports Minister claimed to have received an email from the Argentina Football Association (AFA) a couple of days back, assuring their visit to Kerala in March 2026. The match was initially scheduled for November, but the Minister explained that inconvenience at the stadium had become an obstacle.
Malayalam media reports said that the minister asserted that the Selección Argentina will make an announcement from its side regarding the trip in the coming days. Abdurahiman made the announcement during a sports vision seminar in Malappuram district on Monday.
The date of the arrival needs to be finalised during further discussions with AFA, the minister reportedly said, before adding that the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi's Kaloor will receive FIFA certification within 15 days.
It was earlier declared that a full-strength Argentina will take on Australia and the Kaloor Stadium on November 17.
While elaborating on the circumstances that led to Argentina's arrival in November window getting cancelled, the minister said that there will be penalties and self goals in a football match. The public should be able to accept such drawbacks in the right spirit, the minister said. "Look at the effort that went into this. No one has any vested interests in this matter. It is everyone's wish that Messi should come to Kerala and play. It is not the right approach to place the entire responsibility on those who prepared for this, just because a date was changed," the minister was quoted as saying by Malayalam daily Madhayamam.
