Lionel Messi, Argentina football team's cancelled Kerala visit leads to scam allegations

The All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants Association (AKGSMA) has filed a complaint alleging that a group fraudulently collected money by claiming to cover the expenses of Messi and the Argentina team's visit.

Kochi: The All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants Association (AKGSMA) has alleged that a group conducted a scam by collecting funds under the false pretense of covering the expenses of football legend Lionel Messi and the Argentina team's visit. The organization's President K. Surendran, General Secretary Adv. S. Abdul Nasser, and Treasurer C.V. Krishnadas have written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, requesting an investigation into the matter. The letter demands an inquiry into the alleged fraud committed by the Justin Palathara faction of AKGSMA, who reportedly collected a large sum of money by misleading the government and claiming to bear the expenses of Lionel Messi's visit to Kerala.

The AKGSMA state committee has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the alleged scam, claiming that the Justin Palathara faction collected crores from the gold trade sector by misleading the Sports Minister and the government. The Justin faction reportedly participated in a press conference with the Sports Minister and claimed that they were bringing Messi to Kerala. The complaint alleges that they developed an app called "Oloppo" as part of a six-month-long Grand Kerala Consumer Festival, claiming to be responsible for bringing Messi to Kerala, and collected membership fees of Rs. 10,000 each from numerous jewelers.

The AKGSMA officials demanded a government-level investigation into the organization that allegedly misled the government, collected substantial donations from gold traders, and committed fraud by promising prizes like 17.5 kg of gold. Meanwhile, Sports Minister V Abdurahiman stated that the government has no role in bringing Messi to Kerala and that sponsors should make decisions in this regard.

The Sports Minister clarified, "The government doesn't have that much money. The sponsorship was given at their request. They have been provided with the necessary government and central government orders and consent letters. The sponsors are responsible for taking the decisions. They haven't officially informed us about withdrawing the sponsorship."