2 weeks ago
Kerala Government Probes Alleged Lapses in Proposed Messi Match
There was once a plan to bring a very famous football player named Lionel Messi to play a match in Kochi, a city in Kerala.
Messi plays for Argentina, and people were very excited about the idea.
But the match never happened, even though the sponsor tried hard to make it work.
Now, the new sports minister, Mr. OJ Janeesh, says some rules were not followed when the government agreed to the match.
He wants to know how the sponsor was picked, where the money would come from, and who would get any profits.
The people who were in the government earlier and the sponsor say nothing wrong was done.
A special team checked the issue and gave a report to the chief minister's office.
The government will now decide what to do next after reading the report.
Kerala Sports Minister OJ Janeesh alleged procedural lapses in the previous government's proposed Messi match in Kochi.
Janeesh said the agreement with the sponsor was signed without any scrutiny and procedures were not followed at any stage.
He claimed political interests and personal commercial interests were involved in the proposal.
The CPI(M)-led LDF and the sponsor denied any irregularities in the initiative.
The Sports Department's preliminary inquiry report has been submitted to the CMO for further action.
- Who
- Kerala Sports Minister OJ Janeesh, the previous LDF government, and the sponsor of the proposed match
- What
- Allegations of procedural lapses and irregularities in the proposed Argentina football team match featuring Lionel Messi in Kochi, which failed to materialise
- Where
- Thrissur and Kochi, Kerala
- When
- August 14, when Janeesh spoke to reporters in Thrissur
- Why
- Alleged lack of scrutiny of the agreement with the sponsor and suspected political and commercial interests
Allegations of Irregularities
Denial of Wrongdoing
Scrutiny of sponsor agreement
Allegations of Irregularities
Minister Janeesh says no scrutiny was conducted on the agreement with the sponsor before it was signed and that procedures were not followed at any stage.
Denial of Wrongdoing
The CPI(M)-led LDF and the sponsor deny any irregularities in the initiative.
Interests behind the proposal
Allegations of Irregularities
Janeesh alleges that political interests, political protection and personal commercial interests were involved, and that the sponsor's selection, financial capacity and revenue sharing were never clarified.
Denial of Wrongdoing
The LDF and the sponsor have not accepted these allegations and deny any irregularities in the proposal.
Key facts
- Sports Minister
- OJ Janeesh
- Proposed Event
- Friendly football match featuring Lionel Messi's Argentina team
- Proposed Venue
- Kochi, Kerala
- Match Status
- Did not materialise despite the sponsor's efforts
- Preliminary Inquiry
- Conducted by Sports Department; report submitted to CMO
- Denials
- CPI(M)-led LDF and the sponsor denied irregularities
- Key Allegation
- No scrutiny of the sponsor agreement before it was signed
- Date of Remarks
- August 14 (Friday)
Quotes
Kerala Minister OJ Janeesh
State sports minister
“One of the major aspects in the origins of this controversy is that no scrutiny of any kind was conducted regarding the agreement that should have been executed at the state level. That is what remains as the biggest ambiguity in those files.”
theprint.in
“He said there should have been clarity on whether the government, the Argentine Football Association or the sponsor would be entitled to a share of any revenue generated from the event.”
theprint.in








