Messi’s Keralam visit row: ED to register money-laundering case

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The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is set to register a case into the alleged financial misappropriation linked to the failed attempt to bring the Argentina national football team and its legendary former captain Lionel Messi to Kochi, Keralam, for an international friendly match in 2025.

The Kochi unit of the ED will register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following revelations of financial transactions worth crores in connection with the failed bid. The First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Kalamassery police on September 15, 2026, at the instance of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Messi row, will form the basis of the ED case.

The police FIR had arraigned, among others, Anto Augustine, the authorised signatory of Reporter Broadcasting Private Limited, and the company itself. The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy.

According to the FIR, the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy prior to December 20, 2024, when ‘illegal and fake’ details were allegedly inserted into the agreement signed with the Argentina Football Association, with the intention of cheating the State government and the public for wrongful gain.

The FIR further alleged that the accused conspired to gain custody of the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor by securing an exemption from the ₹5 crore security deposit on September 26, 2025. The FIR was registered after a preliminary inquiry conducted by the SIT found prima facie grounds for a cognisable offence.

The SIT has since carried out search operations at five locations linked to the Anto brothers, including their ancestral home in Wayanad. The Excise Department in Wayanad had registered a case and arrested Mr. Anto Augustine following the seizure of 67 litres of liquor, including suspected spurious liquor, from the ancestral house. He was later granted bail by the Kerala High Court.

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