Here we go! Football wizard Lionel Messi to Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sports minister V Abdurahiman yet again confirmed that football virtuoso Lionel Messi would indeed visit Kerala this year. The minister confirmed this through a post on his Facebook account on Friday. The minister also thanked the private broadcasting company sponsoring the event. However, the date of the legendary player's arrival has not been clarified yet.

Kerala has been trying to prepare a venue for Argentina's friendly match for more than a year. The organization that had initially agreed to sponsor this event backed out after the budget estimation surpassed Rs 130 crores. With the minister prevailing upon the new sponsors to make the payment demanded by the Argentine Football Federation, the sponsors paid the first TDS a few days back. Discussions were underway with the Argentine Association on the matter. The minister's social media post indicates that a consensus has been finally reached between the two parties.

The Argentine Football Association will announce the venue and date of the match once the financial matters are cleared. Before that, representatives of the Argentine Football Association will visit Kerala to inspect the venue. The plan is to hold the match at the Green Field Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. There are also efforts to organize a public event with the participation of fans in Kochi or Malabar.