Kochi: Kerala’s football fever has met a heartbreaking twist — Lionel Messi and the World Cup-winning Argentina squad will not be arriving in the state this November. The much-anticipated friendly match in Kochi has been officially called off, confirmed event sponsor Reporter Broadcast Corporation.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has decided that the team will only play in Angola during the upcoming international window. Following this, the sponsor issued a clarification, citing delays in securing FIFA approval as the main reason behind the change in plans.
Discussions between the organizers and the AFA led to a mutual agreement to reschedule the Kerala fixture to a later international window, with assurances that the match could still take place in the near future.
Adding to the disappointment, reports from Argentine media claim that the AFA found Kerala’s preparations insufficient to host an international match of such scale, suggesting that key arrangements could not be completed on time.
The Kerala government and sponsors had earlier announced that Argentina would take on Australia at Kochi’s Kaloor International Stadium on November 17. Even after Argentina confirmed their fixture against Angola in Luanda, officials in Kerala had maintained hope — insisting that Messi and team would still arrive.
