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Argentine Football Federation (AFA) have confirmed that Lionel Messi and Argentina will not travel to Kerala for a an exhibition match in the November international break. The AFA had previously announced that La Albiceleste would play a friendly game in India between 10th to 18th of next month.
Argentina have a strong fan following in Kerala and supporters were understandably excited about hosting La Pulga in 'God's Own Country'. However, all their hopes have now been dashed.
The AFA have now release a statement confirming that their plans for November have changed. The statement read:
“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. After the match, the delegation will return to the old continent (South America) to continue their training until November 18th, the day the FIFA World Cup concludes.”However, the event's sponsor, Anto Augustine, has insisted via a social media post that the game has merely been postponed. The post read:
“Due to the delay in getting approval from FIFA, a decision to postpone the match scheduled in the November window was taken during a meeting with an AFA official. The match in Kerala will be played in the next window. The announcement (will be made) soon.”Interestingly, Lionel Messi will arrive in India in December as a part of the GOAT Tour of India 2025, 14 years after first playing at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
What has Lionel Messi said about visiting India in December?
Lionel MessiLionel Messi has said that it is an honour for him to return to India. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner will begin his GOAT tour in Kolkata in December 13, before traveling to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
Confirming the news via an official statement earlier this month, the 38-year-old said he is looking forward to the event. La Pulga wrote:
"It is such an honour for me to make this trip. India is a very special country, and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago -- the fans were fantastic. "India is a passionate football nation, and I look forward to meeting a new generation of fans while sharing the love I have for this beautiful game,"Lionel Messi will conclude his trip with a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15.
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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit
English (US)