Kochi: Football fans in Kerala have been dealt a significant blow as Argentine media reports that the highly anticipated visit of Lionel Messi and the World Cup-winning national team this November has been cancelled. The prominent Argentine newspaper, La Nación, broke the news, citing sources within the Argentine Football Association (AFA) who pointed to contractual failures as the primary reason for the decision.
The report, which surfaced late on Thursday, details the AFA’s disappointment over the collapse of the proposed friendly match, which was expected to take place during the November 10-18 FIFA window.
“We did everything we could to make the visit to Kerala in November possible,” an AFA official was quoted as saying by La Nación. “A delegation visited India, inspected the field and hotels, and held meetings. But India could not meet our requirements.”
The official further stated that the agreement with the organizers in Kerala failed due to “repeated violations.” The AFA is reportedly now looking to reschedule the friendly match, with a potential date in March of next year being considered.
This development comes just a month after an AFA representative, Hector Daniel Cabrera, inspected the facilities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, the proposed venue for the match. During his visit, Cabrera met with Kerala’s State Sports Minister, V. Abdurahiman, who had assured him that the event would proceed as planned.
Adding to the confusion, a private broadcasting company tasked with organizing the match had claimed that Australia had agreed to play a friendly against Argentina in Kochi on November 17. However, there has been no official confirmation of this from either the Australian football association or Australian media outlets.
For now, the dream of seeing Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time, play on Kerala soil remains unfulfilled, leaving thousands of ardent fans in the state disappointed.
