"The one who did not fulfil the agreement was Kerala government" - AFA rep hits back at allegations after Lionel Messi visit to state falls through

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has accused the Kerala government of not fulfilling the agreement following Lionel Messi-led La Albiceleste's cancelled visit to India. Argentina were expected to visit India for two games later this year in October.

However, Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman later informed that the World Champions would not be coming to India due to scheduling issues. On August 4, Abdurahiman stated that Argentina are having difficulties in visiting India in October.

Meanwhile, the Kerala government is only interested in hosting Lionel Messi's side in October. Reacting to the statement, AFA's Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, Leandro Petersen, has asserted that the Kerala government is responsible for the shortcomings. He told Onmanorama:

"Not true, no way. The one who did not fulfil the agreement was the Kerala government. It breached the contract."

Peterson did not explain how the state government failed to fulfil the agreed terms.

V Abdurahiman announced Argentina's arrival in India last September, but he has recently confirmed that the deal is off. According to the information from the Right to Information Act, the Kerala government spent INR 13 lakh for their delegation to visit Spain to meet Argentina's football team.

Thomas Muller reflects on facing Lionel Messi in MLS

Meanwhile, new Vancouver Whitecaps signing Thomas Muller has addressed his long-standing rivalry with Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi. During a recent interview with the Whitecaps, the German midfielder lauded Messi and claimed that he shares a positive rivalry with him.

He said (via Vancouver Whitecaps on YouTube):

"The competition with Leo Messi is closer to a positive rivalry. I faced him several times in big matches, and when you see what he's doing now, it's astonishing. I think he scores in almost every match."

Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller have faced each other 10 times, four times on the international stage and six times on the club level. They last clashed in the Round of 16 of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, where Bayern Munich won 3-0 on aggregate.

After more than two decades at Bayern, Muller has joined MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps on a free transfer this summer.

About the author

Shashank is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering European football since the past 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has also played the sport as a box-to-box midfielder and a full-back at national level, along with Tennis, Taekwondo and Boxing.

Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words 'Liverpool FC' written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds' incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp's managerial style.

He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.

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Edited by Aditya Singh