Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7 : The Kerala government's claim that no public money would be spent to bring football legend Lionel Messi to the state has now been exposed as misleading.

It has now emerged that the state government spent Rs 13 lakh on the Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman's trip to Spain in September 2024, reportedly to invite Messi to Kerala. The Minister was accompanied by the Sports Department Secretary and the Director of Sports and Youth Affairs.

This revelation contradicts Minister Abdurahiman's earlier statement that it would not cost the government 'even a single rupee' in inviting Messi to Kerala.

Earlier this week, the same Minister confirmed that Argentina's national football team, led by Messi, would not be visiting Kerala. The Argentinian team reportedly cited difficulties in traveling to the state in October -- the only month the sponsor was willing to host the event.

Previously, Abdurahiman had claimed that the team was likely to visit in October or November and would be treated as state guests, with the government covering their security, accommodation, and other logistics.

In the football-crazy districts of Malappuram and Kozhikode, Argentina's national team enjoys massive support -- a sentiment that soared after Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Minister, a native of Malappuram, had been actively working to bring Messi to Kerala.

Sources indicate that one of the motivations behind the government's efforts was political, as local body elections are slated for December, and assembly elections are due in April-May next year, to elect 140 members to the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

The exposure of this apparent bluff of the Minister has armed the opposition, with both the Congress-led UDF and BJP-led NDA accusing the Pinarayi Vijayan government of indulging in publicity stunts and misleading the public.

/IANS