The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala on Thursday (August 13, 2026) edged closer to ordering a multi-angled investigation into the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s “bungled attempt” to bring the 2021 FIFA World Cup-winning Argentina team and its iconic captain, Lionel Messi, for a friendly match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in 2025.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan told a press conference that the State Sports Department’s preliminary inquiry into the alleged fiasco, which left football fans profoundly disappointed, revealed “very serious allegations” warranting further investigation by multiple departments and agencies.
(The charges in the report, vetted by Sports Department Special Secretary N. Prasanth, reportedly included massive service tax fraud on foreign remittances, contraventions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), abuse of power resulting in loss to the public exchequer, and “shady financial transactions” involving offshore entities, among other charges.)
Mr Satheesan said the previous government “cannot not shrug off responsibility” centred around the controversy by airing “contradictory statements”.
He said several questions remain unanswered. “What was the procedure followed by the previous government to permit the private sponsor (a television news broadcasting company) to transact with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) on behalf of the State without inviting an expression of intent, a legal pre-requisite before entering into a final binding contract or agreement? Did the government examine the source of the private sponsor’s funding? Did it conduct a market price determination before contemplating a binding legal contract or agreement with the private sponsor?”, Mr Satheesan asked.
The Chief Minister said the Finance Department, which he heads, has opened an investigation into suspected GST levy evasion on foreign remittances, amounting to a projected ₹156 crore, purportedly made by the sponsor to the Argentine Football Association to secure Messi and his team’s presence in Kochi.
“The previous LDF government had flagged the suspected loss to the State exchequer and issued a notice to the sponsor. Inexplicably, the tax enforcement procedure froze overnight”, he said.
Mr Satheesan said a myriad of other “intriguing questions” also begged answers. “What was the State’s role in the LDF government-backed attempt to bring the Argentine team to Kerala? Did the government protect the State’s interests in the process? Did the sponsor seek to exploit the State and use the heft of the government for pursuing personal pecuniary interests?”, he asked.
Mr Satheesan said the government would decide the impending investigation’s “terms of reference”. He said the State would take a call on whether it was required to enlist the services of Central agencies (the Enforcement Directorate or the Central Bureau of Investigation) to probe possible violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act.
Published - August 13, 2026 12:06 pm IST
Kerala / United Democratic Front / Left Democratic Front
Source: The Hindu - India News
