🔗 Share this article Smooth Conclusion to Messi's Visit to India After Unrest in Kolkata Messi wrapped up his India tour with an event at a sports arena in Delhi on Monday. Global football icon Lionel Messi has wrapped up his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, after a chaotic opening in Kolkata. On Monday, thousands of fans assembled in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentinian and Inter Miami forward. As Messi, alongside Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – sending balls into the stands, playing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd roared his name. His aircraft from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, sources indicated, and his itinerary had to be cut down. On Saturday, angry fans damaged a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there. A Busy Agenda Spanning Multiple Cities Messi had a packed schedule in India, participating in a string of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the wee hours of Saturday. Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a massive statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India. Disastrous Kickoff in Football-Loving Kolkata An admirer shows a jersey of Messi at the gathering in Delhi. The tour, however, began with a disastrous start after frustrated fans destroyed seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is extremely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of adoring supporters had spent up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event. However, many failed to see him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation turned hostile. "Faulty planning of a hyped-up event, poor coordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "vented their anger by engaging in violence." The unrest, which captured 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 organizer in Kolkata has been taken into custody, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Smooth Events in Hyderabad and Mumbai Messi kicked a ball with kids at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the world-famous star on social media and in press interactions. Messi also had meetings with 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. Messi digitally revealed a 70ft statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi had a meeting with Indian sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these interactions, Messi could be seen greeting large fan crowds 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 planned visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Reason of His Vast Popularity in India Messi's fame comes not only from his prolific international career and extensive TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the deep bond that a huge number of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.
Messi wrapped up his India tour with an event at a sports arena in Delhi on Monday. Global football icon Lionel Messi has wrapped up his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, after a chaotic opening in Kolkata. On Monday, thousands of fans assembled in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentinian and Inter Miami forward. As Messi, alongside Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – sending balls into the stands, playing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd roared his name. His aircraft from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, sources indicated, and his itinerary had to be cut down. On Saturday, angry fans damaged a Kolkata stadium because they failed to see him during his visit there. A Busy Agenda Spanning Multiple Cities Messi had a packed schedule in India, participating in a string of marketing events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since landing in the wee hours of Saturday. Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a massive statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India. Disastrous Kickoff in Football-Loving Kolkata An admirer shows a jersey of Messi at the gathering in Delhi. The tour, however, began with a disastrous start after frustrated fans destroyed seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is extremely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of adoring supporters had spent up to 12,000 rupees to attend the event. However, many failed to see him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then rapidly taken away as the situation turned hostile. "Faulty planning of a hyped-up event, poor coordination" and safety failures turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – prevented from seeing of Messi – "vented their anger by engaging in violence." The unrest, which captured 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 organizer in Kolkata has been taken into custody, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Smooth Events in Hyderabad and Mumbai Messi kicked a ball with kids at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans expressing their joy at seeing the world-famous star on social media and in press interactions. Messi also had meetings with 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. Messi digitally revealed a 70ft statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi had a meeting with Indian sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these interactions, Messi could be seen greeting large fan crowds 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 planned visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman. The Reason of His Vast Popularity in India Messi's fame comes not only from his prolific international career and extensive TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the deep bond that a huge number of Indians have with what is often referred to as the beautiful game.