Calm Finish to Lionel Messi's Visit to India Following Unrest in Kolkata
Global football icon Lionel Messi has finished his three-day India tour in smog-filled Delhi, after a turbulent opening in Kolkata.
On Monday, a multitude of fans assembled in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentina and Inter Miami forward.
As Messi, joined by Inter Miami team-mates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, walked onto the pitch – kicking balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd shouted his name.
His aircraft from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, sources stated, and his agenda had to be shortened. On Saturday, frustrated fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his event there.
A Busy Itinerary Spanning Multiple Cities
Messi had a hectic schedule in India, attending a string of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since arriving in the early hours of Saturday.
Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he virtually unveiled a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the eastern city.
Troubled Start in Soccer-Mad Kolkata
The tour, however, started with a chaotic 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 a multitude of adoring supporters had spent up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event.
However, most of them didn't even get to see him as he was accompanied by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then quickly whisked away as the situation turned hostile.
"Poor management of a hyped-up event, disorganization" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "battlefield", as fans – denied even a glimpse of Messi – "expressed their fury by resorting to violence."
The ruckus, which grabbed international headlines, marred Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been called a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.
The organizer in Kolkata has been taken into custody, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody.
Successful Visits in Hyderabad and Mumbai
Messi's visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai concluded peacefully, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the global icon online and in media interviews.
Messi also had meetings with several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
In between these engagements, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan gatherings in stadiums and playing football 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 planned visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.
The Reason of Messi's Immense Appeal in India
Messi's popularity comes not only from his long international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the emotional connection that millions of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.