Malappuram: All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran has denied the news that the organisation declined an offer from the Argentine Football Association to hold a match between the national teams in India.
He said the AFA tried to arrange sponsors for a match in India but failed to find any. He also added that the world cup winners only wanted to host a match in the country, but not particularly against the Indian national team.
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The AFA has not discussed this matter with AIFF. Three months ago, Argentina was seeking sponsors to organise matches in India and Bangladesh. They later held matches in China and Indonesia. The AIFF will be contacted only if suitable sponsors are secured for a match in India, he said.
Earlier, there were reports that India had declined the opportunity to play a friendly match against the world cup champions due to financial constraints. Following this, Kerala sports minister V Abdurahiman welcomed the Argentine team to Kerala. He also sent a letter to AFA president Claudio in this regard. Shaji Prabhakaran stated that Abdurahiman's demand would be considered sympathetically if approached through the Kerala Football Federation. However, he emphasised that discussions will only proceed if Argentina also shows interest in pursuing this opportunity.
Published: 25 Jun 2023, 04:12 pm IST
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