Kerala’s Special Investigation Team has escalated its inquiry into suspected GST evasion connected to foreign remittances for a cancelled plan to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina team to Kochi, prompting a broader probe into the handling of the high-profile event.
Kerala’s Special Investigation Team has moved up its inquiry into suspected GST evasion linked to foreign remittances made for the aborted plan to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to Kochi, opening the way for a wider examination of how the high-profile proposal was handled, according to officials quoted by The Hindu.
The case centres on payments made by a private sponsor to secure an exhibition match that was repeatedly promoted as a major sporting coup for the state. Officials say tax investigators had already flagged a wire transfer of ₹126 crore to an overseas entity in 2025, which they say created an estimated GST liability of ₹22.68 crore. Notices were issued to the firm, but the matter did not move forward at the time.
According to the reports, the sponsor later told authorities in August that no service tax was due because the match never took place. That account sits against the broader dispute over the collapsed Argentina visit, which has since turned into a blame game between the commercial partner, the Argentine Football Association and the Kerala government.
Anto Augustine, managing director of Reporter Broadcasting Company, accused the Argentine side of fraud after it accepted about ₹130 crore for the proposed visit and then failed to deliver the promised matches in Kerala in October or November 2025, The Hindu and other Indian outlets reported. Augustine said a later suggestion of a September 2026 trip was not acceptable because the team could look different after the 2026 World Cup.
Leandro Petersen, the AFA’s chief commercial and marketing officer, rejected that allegation and said the Kerala side had breached the contract. Separately, Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman accused the team of backing out after taking the money. The widened probe could now also examine whether the original arrangement was struck without open tendering, proper departmental clearances or a sufficient check on the sponsor’s financial capacity, officials said.
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