 "Lionel Messi in action for Argentina. Reuters.")
The Kerala Government’s commercial partner- the Reporter Broadcasting Company- for bringing the Argentina football team, along with globally recognised star Lionel Messi , to the state, has made it known that it would be forced to explore legal action if the world champions do not turn up to play in India in October or November.
The company has confirmed that it had paid the full amount of ₹130 crore to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) on June 6 this year as per the agreement signed in December 2024. The reporter further informed that the AFA aims to defer the team’s visit to India to September 2026.
“As per the agreement, we had sent the full amount and they (AFA) also acknowledged it. But after five days, we received an email asking whether we are okay with having the match in September 2026." Anto Augustine, managing director of Reporter was quoted as saying by Onmanorama.
Postponement could trigger massive financial loss
Given that the FIFA World Cup is scheduled to begin in June next year, and they could lose the world champion tag, Augustine has strongly opposed the proposal of the AFA, stating that it would be a violation of the agreement.
“That violates the terms of the agreement we have with the AFA. We are not okay with it. As per our agreement with the AFA, the deal was to have the match in October-November this year. They had even told us that the match can be held in October and we had fulfilled all the terms as per the agreement.”
Augustine has conveyed that they want the friendly match to take place this year only as a postponement will come with a massive financial loss.
“We are interested in having the match only this year, as per the agreed terms. If the agreement is not honoured, there will be huge financial loss. So we may have to handle this legally,” he said.
Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman, who had earlier made the announcement that Argentina would play in Kerala in October, told the media on Monday that the team would not visit the state this year.
Anto, on the other hand, has refrained from making any such statement and is waiting for the AFA to formally declare that the team would not be playing in the state this year.