Lionel Messi’s “GOAT Tour” of India was marred by chaotic scenes Saturday after fans threw ripped up seats and invaded the pitch during the Argentina star’s brief appearance.
Messi’s tour will see him travel from Kolkata to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. However, it did not get off to a dream start, as his appearance was reportedly cut to just 20 minutes due to the violence.
The highlight of tour’s opening day was meant to be the unveiling of a 70-foot Messi statue — which is reported to be the largest statue of a footballer ever created.
Messi, who was accompanied by teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, walked a short distance on the pitch and waved briefly toward the stands amid loud chants of “Messi, Messi,” but fans soon realized that the footballer remained tightly cordoned off and was barely visible from large sections of the stadium.
Messi’s appearance ended before he could complete a full lap of the stadium, sparking violent scenes.
“Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi,” a fan told ANI news agency. “Why did they call us then?
“We have got a ticket for 12,000 rupees ($130), but we were not even able to see his face.”
Mamata Banerjee, the region’s chief minister, issued an apology to Messi and ordered a probe into the incident.
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“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake stadium,” Banerjee, who was on her way to the event when chaos broke out, posted on X.
“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” she added.
“I am constituting an enquiry committee… the committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.”
The Indian football federation said it was “deeply concerned” by the scenes, adding that it was not involved in the event’s planning, deferring responsibility to the PR agency that organised it.
