Kerala seeks football collaboration with Lionel Messi's Argentina

Football-crazy Kerala is seeking collaboration with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), with a high-level delegation headed by State Sports Minister V Abdurahiman holding a meeting with its office-bearers in Madrid, Spain.

In a Facebook post, Abdurahiman, who is currently in Madrid, said on Friday that the collaboration with AFA will be a huge investment for Kerala and expressed his desire to make this a reality as soon as possible.

"The possibility of considering Kerala as a venue for international friendly matches was discussed. As part of this, the association representatives expressed interest in visiting Kerala soon. AFA also expressed interest in setting up football academies in Kerala in collaboration with the state government," he said.

According to the minister, the AFA said that the Argentine fan community in Kerala has always been warmly welcomed.

Commenting on their meeting, the AFA said: "Together with the delegation from the Government of Kerala, headed by V ...