NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi’s highly anticipated visit to India turned into chaos for fans of the football icon in Kolkata on Saturday, after his brief appearance at a local stadium sparked anger among thousands in attendance.
The Argentine football star, who is on a three-day visit to India billed as “GOAT (greatest of all time) Tour,” arrived in the eastern state of West Bengal early on Saturday. His main public event in Kolkata took place about noon at the Salt Lake Stadium, where thousands of spectators had reportedly paid up to 12,000 rupees, or $133, to see him.
Messi was seen walking around the pitch and waving to the crowd, but obscured by a large group of people, before leaving only about 20 minutes after arrival.
Widely circulating clips online showed frustrated fans, some clad in the Argentinian team’s sky blue and white jersey, breaking down barricades and storming the pitch after he left, while others ripped up stadium seats and threw items onto the track.
“People are very disappointed that this ended this way. I spent 4,500 rupees, but there are people who spent more,” Ayan Das, a Messi fan who attended the stadium event, told Arab News.
“It was a disappointment that Messi, who was supposed to be in the stadium for at least one hour, left in 15 minutes.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was “deeply disturbed and shocked” by how the Kolkata event unfolded.
“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” she wrote on X.
Local authorities have since launched an investigation into the incident and arrested the event organizer, who has been identified as Satadru Dutta.
Messi was returning to Kolkata — which has a large football fanbase in an otherwise cricket-crazed country — after first visiting in 2011 for an international friendly match with Venezuela.
This time around, the city had built a 21-meter statue of the 2022 World Cup winner, which he inaugurated virtually as part of the visit.
After weeks of build-up and excitement, the disappointment was palpable for the entire city, which has been looking forward to seeing Messi in real life, said Ranadeep Mukherjee, who owns coaching center German Football Academy in Kolkata.
“For so many people, this was their lifelong dream, right? I know people who have paid off their whole month’s salary to buy one ticket for this event. I mean, that has been the level of commitment. People have taken loans. People have, like, gone beyond their means to buy a ticket to see their god for one minute,” he told Arab News.
“As a Kolkata native, it is very sad for me, and like, in a way, it is sort of a shame for the city that we could not show him how much of a football-loving city we are and how good of a fan base we are.”
But other Indian football fans were still brimming with excitement, as Messi’s tour of India also included stops in Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi, where he is scheduled to attend concerts, youth football clinics, a padel tournament and launch charitable initiatives.
“It will really inspire a lot of people, a lot of young kids and coaches and everywhere,” said Peter Alex Todd, a footballer from the northeastern state of Assam.
“I believe we, all football lovers and the young generation, will be very much inspired to watch him.”
For Aarav Dadhwal, a 17-year-old student in Delhi, Messi’s visit was a “dream come true.”
“This is like once in a lifetime that a player like him comes and visits India. So many people who might never get a chance to see him playing can get a glimpse of him,” he told Arab News.
“Many people will definitely be inspired by him. And I also think that inspiration is necessary, and he also, like should take some initiative, like start some academies in India, because India’s progress in football is much-needed.”
