CHENNAI: Kerala’s hopes of hosting the Argentina Football Team may yet be alive with the Argentine Football Association’s marketing director Leandro Petersen confirming that discussions to bring the world champions for a friendly match in Kerala were still alive.
According to the organizers, while speaking at the launch of the partnership between the AFA and financial services conglomerate LuLu Financial Holdings in Dubai, Petersen said that it was a matter of pride that Argentina had so many fans in India and that they wanted to play in front of them. He added that discussions were still underway with state officials but did not reveal any potential dates for such a match to happen.
Kerala had late last year announced that Argentina would be playing a friendly match in the state but there were speculations over it after the AFA announced their friendly schedule in October and November which did not include India. According to some reports, there were issues with sponsors as well. This, however, was cleared by state sports minister in June when he had said Argentina game is on.
Petersen’s comments came during a partnership signing ceremony where Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was the main attraction. The deal will see various entities under LuLu Financial Holdings, including LuLu Forex and LuLu Finserv in India, become regional sponsors of the Argentina Football Association until mid-next year. “For countless fans, the Argentine team represents more than football - it symbolizes hope, resilience, and joy,” said Adeeb Ahamed, Founder and Managing Director of LuLu Financial Holdings.