Lionel Messi and Argentina’s Kerala visit in November postponed, AFA blames logistical delays

Lionel Messi’s visit to Kerala in November this year has been postponed. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the event’s sponsor revealed this on Saturday. The Argentine national team was expected to play a friendly match against Australia in Kochi on 17 November.

In an official statement, the AFA said, “The Argentine national team, led by Lionel Scaloni, will travel to Spain in November for training and then move to Luanda for their only friendly against Angola on Friday the 14th.”

The statement further added, “After the match, the delegation will return to the old continent to continue their training until November 18th, the day the FIFA World Cup concludes.”

Anto Augustine, the proposed match’s sponsor along with the Kerala Sports Ministry, wrote on Facebook, “Considering the delay in receiving FIFA’s permission, after discussions with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), it has been decided to postpone the match from the November window.”

According to Argentine media reports, the AFA officials postponed the match due to Kerala’s lack of readiness and delays in completing logistical arrangements within the given timeline. The game is expected to be rescheduled for March 2026.

Meanwhile, Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman revealed that Messi was even willing to travel alone to Kerala, but the government decided against it, asking for the entire team to visit in November. It has sparked political tensions in the state as Opposition Leader VD Satheesan mocked the state government. “If Messi’s arrival was used for political promotion, the government must also bear responsibility for his absence,” he said.

Messi’s last and only visit to India came in 2011, when he travelled to Kolkata with the Argentine national team, for a friendly match vs Venezuela. The match took place at the Salt Lake Stadium and Argentina sealed a 1-0 victory.