Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 14 -- Kerala chief minister VD Satheesan on Thursday claimed that serious allegations including GST fraud and lapses in selection of the private sponsor were reported in the previous LDF government's efforts to bring Lionel Messi-led Argentina national team to play a friendly match in the state.

The chief minister was citing a preliminary inquiry report submitted by the sports department. He said the report is being examined and warrants further investigations.

"What was the procedure adopted in selecting a private firm to sponsor the event? Was there an Expression of Interest? A firm was picked, but parameters including its source of funding and financial capability were not considered. Did the previous governm...