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Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed that Lionel Messi and Argentina will not go to Kerala for an exhibition game in the November international break. The AFA had previously confirmed that La Albiceleste would play a friendly match in India between 10th to 18th of next month.
Why Aregentina's Kerala visit got postponed?
Argentina has a massive fan following in Kerala and supporters were absolutely excited about hosting La Pulga in 'God's Own Country'. However, all their hopes have been drained.
The AFA have now released a statement confirming their changed plans for November. 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 match has 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.”
Notably, Lionel Messi will visit 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 Lionel Messi has said about visiting India in December?
Lionel Messi has said that it is an honour for him to return to India. He will kick off his GOAT tour in Kolkata on December 13, before going to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
Confirming the tour on an official social media post, 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 wrap-up his trip with a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15.
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