Peaceful End to Lionel Messi's India Tour After Unrest in Kolkata
Soccer legend Lionel Messi has wrapped up his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, in the wake of a turbulent opening in Kolkata.
On Monday, countless fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to catch a sight of the Argentinian and Inter Miami forward.
As Messi, alongside Inter Miami team-mates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and giving signatures – the crowd roared his name.
His plane from Mumbai had been delayed due to fog, local media stated, and his schedule had to be trimmed. On Saturday, disappointed fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his event there.
An Intense Agenda Across Multiple Cities
Messi had a hectic schedule in India, attending a string of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the early hours of Saturday.
Before making his way to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely revealed a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the city in eastern India.
Disastrous Start in Football-Crazy Kolkata
The tour, however, got off to a disastrous start after disappointed fans ripped up seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium.
Football is hugely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of adoring supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event.
However, the majority were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation became tense.
"Faulty planning of a much-publicized event, lack of co-ordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "battlefield", as fans – denied even a glimpse of Messi – "expressed their fury by indulging in violence."
The disturbance, which grabbed 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 event organiser in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in detention.
Peaceful Visits in Hyderabad and Mumbai
Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai concluded peacefully, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the global icon on social media and in press interactions.
Messi also met several political figures and celebrities – Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
In between these interactions, Messi could be seen greeting large fan gatherings in stadiums and juggling the ball with groups of children.
There were speculation 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 Source of His Great Fame in India
Messi's fame stems not just from his lengthy international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that a huge number of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.
