Lionel Messi's much-hyped Kolkata leg of the G.O.A.T. Tour on Saturday turned out to be a chaotic experience for the thousands who came to watch the superstar at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan, reports NDTV.
Messi, who landed in Kolkata at 2:26 am started the day by virtually unveiling his 70-feet-tall statue in the city, entered the Salt Lake Stadium around 11:30 am and was immediately flocked by political leaders, former footballers, coaches and other members of the organising committee, leaving very little opportunity for the packed crowd in the stands to catch a glimpse of their icon.
The reason: they could not get a glimpse of the Argentine football great. Despite paying a hefty sum for the event, with tickets ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, several fans claimed they could not even properly see the football legend.
The resulting anger forced the organisers to whisk Messi away. The presence of security personnel and other guests in close proximity to Messi meant that fans could not properly see him from the stands.
Messi arrived at the venue at 11:15 a.m. and stayed for 30 minutes. The 2022 World Cup winner was supposed to take a full lap of the stadium, but he did not due to the chaos.
Moments after Messi emerged from the tunnel, the situation spiralled out of control. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who had arrived in Kolkata for the special event, along with former India captain Sourav Ganguly and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, were unable to be part of the programme as the event was cut short amid the chaos.
Such was the situation that promoter Shatadru Datta, organiser of the G.O.A.T. Tour, along with security personnel, had to whisk Messi away from the Salt Lake Stadium. After that, fans could be seen throwing bottles and chairs into the playing area. Several fans also barged into the ground and vandalised the canopies set up for the event.
One fan, while speaking to NDTV, called the event an "absolute disgrace," while another pointed to the utter mismanagement.
Earlier in the day, Messi met Shah Rukh Khan and industrialist Sanjiv Goenka and expressed happiness over the statue, according to state minister Sujit Bose, who said Messi and his team had approved the installation.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
