Kerala gears up to host Lionel Messi and Argentina match

Thiruvananthapuram: A high -level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss preparations in Kochi for welcoming Lionel Messi and the World Cup-winning Argentina football team.

The match will take place at Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in November. Minor finishing works to elevate the stadium to world-class standards will be completed soon. Strict security arrangements will be put in place. Possibilities for a fan meet will also be discussed. Arrangements will be made for parking, healthcare facilities, clean water supply, electricity distribution, and waste management.

The Chief Minister instructed that there should be coordinated functioning among various departments. An IAS officer will be appointed to coordinate matters related to the match. A committee led by the Chief Secretary will operate at the state level, while at the district level, the District Collector will be responsible for coordination.

Ministers V Abdurahiman, P Rajeev, M B Rajesh, Chief Secretary Dr. A Jayathilak, State Police Chief Raveendran Chandrasekhar, and heads of various departments attended the meeting at the Chief Minister’s conference hall.

Unofficial estimates suggest that around one lakh spectators watched the Nehru Cup football match between India and Iraq in Kochi in 1997. In the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, due to security reasons, the spectator capacity was reduced to 40,000. Subsequent ISL matches were also held at this venue. A detailed review of security arrangements will determine the number of spectators who can be allowed to watch Argentina’s match.