2 weeks ago

Kerala Government Probes Alleged Lapses in Proposed Messi Match

Kerala Government Probes Alleged Lapses in Proposed Messi Match
Kerala govt probing alleged lapses in proposed Messi match: Minister Janeesh · theprint.in

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.

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

Sources

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