Lionel Messi’s much-awaited GOAT India Tour began on a sour note in Kolkata on Friday as poor crowd management at the Salt Lake Stadium left thousands of fans angry and disappointed. The situation worsened after Messi left the ground, with some fans even running onto the pitch in frustration.
The Kolkata event was planned as a four-hour programme starting at 9 am and was expected to feature several big names, including actor Shah Rukh Khan. However, Shah Rukh Khan did not appear at the stadium. Instead, he met Messi earlier in the day during the virtual unveiling of the footballer’s 70-foot statue, along with Bidhannagar MP Sujit Bose.
Fans inside the stadium complained of long delays, overcrowding and confusion throughout the programme. “We have been at the gates since around 8 am, and the mismanagement by the organisers has been very disappointing,” a fan present at the venue told reporters. “They kept killing time with a singing performance and a dance routine. When Messi finally arrived, there were so many people around him that it was almost impossible to see him.”
Messi was supposed to conduct a coaching clinic with children from different districts of West Bengal. Instead, he entered the field with his Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez, took a short walk around the ground, waved to the crowd for a few minutes and then left.
“There were more people around him than in a Durga Puja pandal. It was ridiculous,” he said. “The organisers, a fan group and even Sports Minister Arup Biswas were walking right next to him.”
After Messi exited, angry fans threw plastic water bottles onto the field, unhappy with how brief his appearance was. Although the stadium was full and the crowd was energetic, many felt let down by the hurried nature of the event.
Messi is visiting India for the first time in 14 years as part of a multi-day tour celebrating his career. Kolkata was the first stop, where his visit was marked by the unveiling of a giant statue showing him holding the FIFA World Cup trophy. The tour includes meet and greet sessions, football-related events and interactions with well-known Indian personalities.
Later in the day, Messi was scheduled to travel to Hyderabad for the next leg of the tour, where a GOAT Concert is set to take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
