Argentina team with football 'Messiah' to visit Kerala; will likely face Japan in exhibition match

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For football fans in Kerala, Wednesday marked an unusual day. It is not an everyday happening to see news headlines gleaming “Messi to Kerala”. Yes, it is happening. The ‘messiah’ of football sport is coming to Kerala to play an exhibition match. Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman officially announced on Wednesday that Argentina will come to play a friendly match next year. The location will most probably be Kochi while Argentina is likely to face a foreign team in the exhibition match. Qatar and Japan teams would be likely opponents.

The decision was taken in a discussion held by the Sports Minister in Spain with the Argentine Football Association. Argentina Association officials will soon reach Kerala for further discussions. A joint announcement will then be made. The minister said that the business community has expressed its willingness to sponsor the visit of the Argentine team. The Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants Association and the Traders and Industrialists Coordinating Committee are also present in the works.

It will cost around Rs 100 crore to bring the Argentina team. The FIFA world champions demand Rs 36 crore per match. The management will also need to pay a similar amount to the opposition team. It will also cost a lot to provide facilities, including an international standard stadium. The amount should be raised through sponsorship, ticket sales, TV broadcast rights etc.

• During the last World Cup, a huge cutout of Messi placed by fans on the banks of the Pallavoor river in Kozhikode went viral.

• This image was shared by the Argentina Football Association and fan clubs. After winning the World Cup, Argentina thanked the Malayali fans.

• In 2011, Messi and his team came to play in Kolkata and Bangladesh.

• Messi, who was absent from the World Cup qualifiers due to injury, played against Peru yesterday.