Now Reading: Probe into failed Messi visit to Kerala submitted to CM
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Probe into failed Messi visit to Kerala submitted to CM
Kerala sports minister OJ Janeesh said a confidential inquiry report on the failed 2023 attempt to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to the state has been handed to chief…
The Story in Brief
Kerala sports minister OJ Janeesh said a confidential inquiry report on the failed 2023 attempt to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to the state has been handed to chief minister VD Satheesan. The report, prepared by sports department special secretary N Prasanth, flags that the sponsor firm GoatAd was registered just 20 days before the proposal, had a capital of Rs 1 lakh, and shared an address with the event organiser RBC. It found no proof of the promised Rs 126 crore payment to the AFA and recommends further investigation by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau or a special police team.
Former sports minister V Abdurahiman denies any wrongdoing, saying all approvals from the Union finance and sports ministries and the RBI were in place. The event's collapse became a political flashpoint, with the UDF and BJP using it against the LDF government in the 2026 assembly election campaign.
The Indian Opinion
The report's key finding, that the sponsor firm had a capital of just Rs 1 lakh and shared an address with a news channel, deserves close scrutiny, not political theatre. Both the former minister and the opposition have made sweeping claims. The real test is whether the Vigilance or a special team can trace where the promised Rs 126 crore for AFA went, and if any public money was actually at risk. Without that paper trail, the inquiry remains a political stick, not a forensic one.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
