'It was Kerala government that breached contract'; Argentine Football Association levels serious allegation

KOCHI: The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has claimed that it was the Kerala government that backed out on the matter of bringing Lionel Messi to Kerala. According to AFA marketing head Leandro Peterson, it was the Kerala government, not the Argentine team, that violated the agreement. More details came out after a journalist communicated with him in Spanish.

When asked whether it was a breach of contract for the Argentine team to cancel the Kerala visit after receiving Rs 130 crore from a sponsor in Kerala, Peterson denied it, saying the fault lay with the state government. Reports say he declined to answer further questions on the issue.

Earlier, the sponsor in Kerala had said at a press conference that it was the AFA that violated the agreement, and that the Rs 130 crore demanded by AFA to bring the team to Kerala had been paid on June 6. The sponsor also stated that wherever the Argentine team or Messi plays in India in the future, it can only happen with their permission, as the contract was made with them.

Meanwhile, MLA Shafi Parambil said the government should clarify its position on the AFA’s response. He added that this was a setback caused by the government’s own actions. According to him, the government politically exploited the hopes of football fans who wanted to see Messi in Kerala.