Lionel Messi’s much-publicised Kolkata leg of the GOAT India Tour on Saturday descended into chaos at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan, as thousands of fans left angry after failing to get a proper glimpse of the Argentine football icon.
Fans who paid between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 for tickets said the event was poorly managed and deeply disappointing. Many claimed they could barely see Messi because of the heavy security presence and the crowd of organisers and guests surrounding him on the field.
Messi arrived at the stadium around 11.15 am and stayed for about 30 minutes. He was expected to take a full lap of the stadium, but that plan was dropped as the situation became increasingly unmanageable. His actual interaction with the crowd lasted only a few minutes.
As soon as Messi walked out of the tunnel, confusion and unrest spread through the stands. Several high profile guests, including actor Shah Rukh Khan, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, could not take part in the programme as it was cut short due to the disorder.
Promoter Shatadru Datta, along with security officials, quickly escorted Messi out of the Salt Lake Stadium. After his exit, angry fans began throwing bottles, chairs and other objects onto the field. Some people broke barricades, entered the ground and damaged the temporary structures set up for the event.
Calling the programme a failure, one fan told NDTV that the event was an “absolute disgrace,” while another blamed “utter mismanagement” by the organisers for the chaos.
Messi later left for Hyderabad, where he is scheduled to take part in a short exhibition appearance at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in the evening. His India tour will continue with events in Mumbai on December 14 and conclude in New Delhi on December 15, where he is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
