Argentina’s football team including Lionel Messi will play an international friendly match in Kerala next year, the state’s Sports Minister V Abdurahiman said on Wednesday (November 20).

Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, the minister stated that the match would be conducted under the complete supervision of the state government.

“All the financial assistance for organising this high-profile football event will be provided by the merchants of the state,” the minister said, expressing confidence in Kerala’s ability to host the historic occasion.

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Messi and his team have a huge fan following in India.

In September, Abdurahiman had visited Spain to invite Argentina to play in Kerala. He held talks with the officials of the Argentina Football Association (AFA).

About his visit, Abdurahiman had told The Federal on September 3, “We are all set to leave for Spain tomorrow. Having sensed huge potential, we have lined up big plans to develop sports in the state. After tourism, sports is going to be the biggest thing in Kerala. What we have in mind is to create what you can call a sports economy. For that, we need to build infrastructure. The idea is to get international clubs, players, and experts from every part of the world and the country.”

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After his return from Spain, he had said, “The possibility of considering Kerala as a venue for international friendly matches was discussed. As part of this, the association representatives expressed interest in visiting Kerala soon.”

“AFA also expressed interest in setting up football academies in Kerala in collaboration with the state government.”

The AFA said the Argentine fan community in Kerala had always been warmly welcomed. The AFA said: “Together with the delegation from Kerala, we had the opportunity to share initiatives and projects that will surely materialize in the short term.”