Kerala and Argentina Football Association join hands to promote and develop football in state

The state of Kerala and Argentina Football Association have plans to come together to collaborate, promote and develop football in the state of Kerala.

A high-level delegation from the Kerala government headed by sports minister V Abdurahiman met representatives and the office bearers of the Argentina Football Association (AFA) in Madrid on Friday.

Divulging the details of the visit on social media, Abdurahiman said Kerala’s partnership with the Argentine football association will be a huge investment for the state. “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,” the sports minister posted on Facebook.

The Argentina Football Association said the initiatives and the proposals discussed with the officials from the Kerala government will materialise very soon. “Together with the delegation from the Government of Kerala, headed by V Abdurahiman, Minister of Sports, we had the opportunity to share initiatives and projects that will surely materialise in the short term,” the Argentine association said, in a media statement.

The AFA said it would soon work on development and commercial projects, not just in Kerala but also in India. “In this context, our institution is working on developing sports and commercial projects in different parts of the country, with the aim of continuing to expand our brand and being closer to the fans of the Argentine National Team in India,” the statement from AFA added.

The AFA also thanked the Government of Kerala for the ‘important visit’. The possibility of the Argentina football team playing in Kerala also looks like a reality. The AFA officials will visit Kerala in the next few months and inspect the infrastructure and take a call accordingly.

Apart from meeting the AFA delegation, the Kerala government officials visited sports development centres in Madrid and also held talks with the government sports council in Spain. “Discussions were held on upgrading existing training centres in the state to world-class standards, developing soft skills in the sports sector alongside excellence, and providing job opportunities to those who acquire expertise,” the sports minister added.

A sports institute, in collaboration with Spain, will also be started at Calicut University.