THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sports Minister V Abdurahman has informed that the Argentina team, including football fans' favorite star Lionel Messi, will visit Kerala next year for an international exhibition match. The minister confirmed the news at the press meet convened. The minister added that the Argentine Football Association will officially announce it.

'The officials of the Argentina team will arrive in a month to hold further discussions on the new decision. The date of the match to be held next year will also be announced. The match will be held in September and October. The fund for the match will be borne by the Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants and the Traders and Businessmen Committee. The match will be fully managed by the government.

The announcement will be made after the representatives arrive in Kerala and assess the ground and security issues where Messi will play. The government is planning to hold the match in Kochi. The match should be held in a place that can accommodate 50,000 spectators. There will be two matches.

The Manjeri Payyanad Stadium was earlier planned. However, that plan was abandoned as it could not accommodate more people. Since it needs to accommodate more people, it will probably be in Kochi, the minister said.

Meantime, the minister has not commented on who Argentina's opponents will be. It is being reported that the strongest team in Asia will be the one to face Argentina.