Augustine Brothers (inset)
Reports from Thiruvananthapuram on August 31 say that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is set to initiate a comprehensive inquiry into the cancelled visit of Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team to Kerala, originally scheduled for the November 2025, alongside a parallel probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) into the sponsor’s Rs 126 crore fund transfers.
As per ‘Janam TV’ channel, the SIT’s investigation report on the Sports Ministry’s had been held up in the Chief Minister’s Office. Even though more than a month has passed since the report was submitted, the Chief Minister’s Office had not issued an order for an investigation. Now, the file has been handed over to the Home Ministry, and ‘Janam TV’ has broadcast this, claiming it as its ‘big impact’.
The government’s decision comes in the wake of the resolution that a comprehensive investigation is essential. The inquiry will be based on the Sports Ministry’s findings. It appears the SIT inquiry will expose all aspects of Messi-gate.
The Kerala government, during the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule, and a private sector sponsor, Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC)—owned by the Augustine brothers (Anto, Jose, and Roji Augustine)—had claimed that they had reached a commercial agreement with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to bring Lionel Messi and his team to Kerala for an exhibition match. However, the trip was cancelled due to reasons known only to the promoters. Despite the cancellation, massive financial irregularities were uncovered regarding Rs 126 crore ($15 million) sent abroad.
Keralam State audits also reportedly revealed that the government spent Rs 13 lakh of public funds to send its Sports Minister to Spain to extend the invitation, breaking initial promises that the event would not cost taxpayers anything.
On 28 August 2026, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officially registered a case under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). They are actively investigating whether the Rs 126 crore was illegally routed to foreign entities via hawala networks or shell companies.
Background to the Case and the Promoters
The controversy surrounding the event’s promoters—the Augustine brothers (Roji, Jose Kutty, and Anto)—dates back to February 2021, when criminal cases were registered against them for illegally felling and smuggling protected timber worth crores of rupees from Muttil, Wayanad.
On 1 July 2023, the trio acquired and relaunched Reporter TV under the Reporter Broadcasting Company, assuming top executive roles. Between July and August 2025, Anto Augustine announced the state tour featuring Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team, publicly claiming that Rs 126 crore to Rs 130 crore ($15 million) had been committed and remitted to the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
The promotion unraveled in August 2026 amidst mounting legal troubles for the promoters, who had non-bailable warrants issued against them on August 11 for skipping hearings in their timber cheating cases.
On 13 August 2026, an official inquiry by the Kerala Sports Department revealed that no banking or documentary proof existed to confirm the ₹126 crore to ₹130 crore had ever reached the AFA.
Current Sports Minister O.J. Jeneesh disclosed that the fixture was halved from two matches to one without any reduction in the $15 million fee, total projected costs escalated to Rs 200 crore against an estimated Rs 82 crore profit, and public stadiums had been allocated without mandatory FIFA or AIFF clearances.
On 31 August 2026, a court dismissed the brothers’ petition to halt their timber trial, scheduling formal charges to be framed on September 7, 2026.
