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Former Sports Minister V Abdurahiman said all government procedures were followed while efforts were made to bring the 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning Argentina football team to Keralam for a friendly match.
He said the state government did not suffer even a single rupee of financial loss in connection with the proposal. The agreement for the proposed match was between the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the sponsor, and no financial liability was imposed on the state government, according to a release. According to Abdurahiman, the initiative to bring the Argentina team was launched after obtaining the necessary approvals from the Union Ministries of Sports and Finance. The sponsor had also obtained permission from the Reserve Bank of India to make the payment. The payment to AFA was made by the sponsor through a public sector bank. He said the required approvals from various Union ministries could only be obtained based on a request from the state Sports Department Secretary, and therefore claims that the Sports Department was unaware of the proceedings were "completely false." Abdurahiman also rejected allegations regarding the previous LDF government's arrangements for the Argentina team's proposed visit. He termed as "highly malicious" claims that the sponsor was granted rights over the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kaloor in exchange for renovation work. He said the previous government had initiated a broader programme of cooperation with foreign countries aimed at the overall development of sports in Keralam. "Inviting Argentina, which has one of the largest football fan bases in Keralam, was part of that initiative. The objective was to give football fans an opportunity to watch a team featuring Lionel Messi and to inspire football enthusiasts and aspiring players in the state." According to Abdurahiman, the Argentina team expressed its willingness to play a friendly match following an invitation from the state government. "Two organisations had approached the government expressing interest in becoming sponsors. After the initially selected sponsor failed to meet the stipulated conditions, Reporter Broadcasting Company, which had subsequently expressed interest, was selected as the sponsor and entered into an agreement with AFA." "The government had issued an order clearly stating that all financial liabilities related to the match would be borne by the sponsor," he said. "AFA had also officially announced its proposed visit to Keralam through its social media platforms." Abdurahiman said sports associations in any country are private organisations and it would not be appropriate for the government to enter into a direct commercial agreement with them. "This was why a private sponsor was brought into the arrangement, he said, adding that AFA had also expressed its preference for such a sponsor." He said discussions with AFA were held through the Sports Department Secretary and Sports Director of the time. Following online discussions, a meeting was held with AFA representatives in Madrid, Spain, after which AFA and the sponsor entered into an agreement. The discussions also included proposals to establish Argentina football schools and sports training academies in Keralam and provide training for coaches from the state. Abdurahiman clarified that the Madrid visit was not solely intended to invite the Argentina team. Discussions were also held with La Liga and the Higher Sports Council of Spain on possible cooperation. The discussions with the Spanish Higher Sports Council covered areas including sports expertise development, sports science, sports research and digitalisation of the sports sector. With La Liga representatives, discussions were held on technical assistance for infrastructure development, curriculum revision in sports schools, para-football and financial support for sports. He said promoting the sports economy was one of the key proposals in Keralam's 2023 sports policy, and international cooperation was crucial for developing the sector. Under the plan outlay of the state's 2025-26 Budget, Rs 8.4 crore had been allocated under the Sports Development Fund, including for international cooperation. The previous government had implemented various sports cooperation programmes with Italy, Australia, the Netherlands and Cuba, he said. These included a Che Guevara memorial chess tournament with Cuba in 2024, football and hockey training programmes with the Netherlands Football Association and the Boveland Foundation, coach training in collaboration with Victoria University in Australia, and a football academy at GV Raja Sports School in association with AC Milan. Regarding the venue, Abdurahiman said the decision to hold the proposed match at the Kochi International Stadium was based on a letter from the GCDA to the government. The GCDA had decided to hand over the stadium to the government-owned Sports Keralam Foundation specifically for the match. The sponsor was to bear the financial responsibility for the works required to prepare the stadium, he said. No rights over the stadium were granted to the sponsor. The GCDA chairman had also clarified that there was no decision to hand over the stadium to anyone, Abdurahiman said. He alleged that the current government was raising "factually incorrect allegations" against the previous government to divert attention from what he described as its failures within three months of assuming office, including its handling of the monsoon crisis and its alleged support for the Sangh Parivar's agenda. He said the issue involving Messi and the Argentina team was being targeted because it was likely to attract greater public attention. Abdurahiman said all the allegations had already been answered when they were first raised and expressed confidence that people would reject what he described as "false allegations" allegedly being raised as part of a deliberate agenda against the Left. (ANI)
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