Calm End to Messi's India Tour After Unrest in Kolkata
Soccer legend Lionel Messi has finished his multi-day India tour in smog-filled Delhi, after a turbulent opening in Kolkata.
On Monday, countless fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentina and Inter Miami attacker.
As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, walked onto the pitch – booting balls into the stands, playing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd shouted his name.
His aircraft from Mumbai had been delayed due to fog, reports reported, and his schedule had to be trimmed. On Saturday, angry fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they didn't get to see him during his appearance there.
A Packed Itinerary Across Several Metropolises
Messi had a hectic schedule in India, participating in a succession of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the wee hours of Saturday.
Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the city in eastern India.
Disastrous Start in Soccer-Mad Kolkata
The tour, however, started with a troubled start after angry fans ripped up seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium.
Football is immensely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of devoted supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event.
However, the majority failed to see him as he was accompanied by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation turned hostile.
"Faulty planning of a highly anticipated event, disorganization" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "expressed their fury by indulging in violence."
The unrest, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been dubbed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.
The promoter in Kolkata has been taken into custody, police said, and a city court has sent Satadru Dutta to 14 days in detention.
Peaceful Events in Other Cities
Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai concluded peacefully, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the international legend online and in press interactions.
Messi also encountered several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
In between these meetings, Messi could be seen waving to large fan assemblies in stadiums and playing football with groups of children.
There were rumors earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister departed on Monday morning on a scheduled visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.
The Reason of His Immense Appeal in India
Messi's appeal is due to more than his long international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the all-time top scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that a huge number of Indians have with what is often called the beautiful game.
