Smooth Finish to Messi's Visit to India In the Wake of Disorder in Kolkata
Football superstar 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 congregated in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentina and Inter Miami attacker.
As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami team-mates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – booting balls into the stands, playing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd chanted his name.
His aircraft from Mumbai had been held up due to fog, local media reported, and his itinerary had to be shortened. On Saturday, disappointed fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there.
An Intense Schedule Spanning 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 pre-dawn of Saturday.
Before making his way to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely unveiled a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the eastern city.
Disastrous Start in Soccer-Mad Kolkata
The tour, however, got off to a chaotic start after angry fans tore 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 countless ardent supporters had forked out up to 12,000 rupees to witness the event.
However, most of them failed to see him as he was enveloped by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then quickly whisked away as the situation grew violent.
"Faulty planning of a hyped-up event, lack of co-ordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – denied even a glimpse of Messi – "vented their anger by engaging in violence."
The disturbance, which captured international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed 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 custody.
Successful Events in Other Cities
Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the world-famous star online and in media interviews.
Messi also met several politicians and celebrities – Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
In between these engagements, Messi could be seen greeting large fan assemblies in stadiums and juggling the ball with groups of children.
There were reports earlier that Messi would have a meeting with 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 Messi's Immense Appeal in India
Messi's popularity is due to more than his long international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the strong affinity that millions of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.