Kerala’s Messi promise comes back to haunt the Left

Thiruvananthapuram: For fervent Kerala football supporters, Lionel Messi was envisioned as more than a sports figure. He was to be a demigod, representing Argentina and transforming Kerala into a mini-Buenos Aires. In 2025, the Pinarayi Vijayan administration viewed the Messi dream as a potential political boon, especially ahead of the local body elections in December and the subsequent Assembly polls.

This pursuit of a political goal through Messi's presence has morphed into a bureaucratic and political predicament, with the current V.D. Satheesan government probing whether government institutions were utilized to serve the interests of a private company (a media entity). The Left government had initially kindled the hopes of millions by promoting the notion of an Argentina-Messi spectacle in Kerala.

Despite the highly anticipated event not materializing, the government, notably Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman, did not hastily retract their assurances. Instead, they promised that Messi and Argentina would eventually arrive, with the event being merely a matter of time. As Messi stayed away, the government's pledges fueled football enthusiasm, even as the anticipated spectacle failed to materialize.

The grand sporting event gradually evolved into one where spectators had purchased tickets but could not pinpoint a stadium. The political fallout now rests on the Satheesan government, which has already flagged significant shortcomings following an initial report by the Sports Secretary. The report questions the manner of acquiring the private sponsor without a tender, as well as the bypassing of necessary scrutiny from the Finance and Law Departments.

The Satheesan administration is also investigating possible violations of rules and the use of official authority that may have benefited a private company. The failure of the Messi spectacle has left Vijayan and the Left party grappling with an administrative and political mess, while Messi, the figure who was to bestow football glory upon Kerala, inadvertently left behind a less impressive administrative conundrum.