Football superstar 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 gathered in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentina and Inter Miami forward.
As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami team-mates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – kicking balls into the stands, passing with a group of children and signing autographs – the crowd chanted his name.
His flight from Mumbai had been delayed due to fog, local media reported, and his itinerary had to be trimmed. On Saturdayangry fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they didn’t get to see him during his appearance there.
Messi had a packed 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, assembled over 27 days by a 45-strong crew in the eastern city.
The tour, however, got off to a disastrous start when angry fans ripped up seats and threw items towards the pitch.
Football is hugely popular in West Bengal, the state capital of which is Kolkata, and thousands of adoring supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees (£100; $133) to attend the event.
However, most of them didn’t even get to see him as officials and celebrities surrounded him on his brief walk around the stadium and then quickly whisked away as the situation turned hostile.
Kolkata’s The Telegraph newspaper said in an editorial that “poor management of a hyped-up event, lack of co-ordination” and security lapses turned the stadium into a “battlefield”, as fans – denied even a glimpse of Messi – “vented their anger by indulging in violence”.
The ruckus, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi’s first visit to India since 2011 for what has been called 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 police custody.
Messi’s visits to Hyderabad and Mumbai passed off smoothly, with fans sharing their delight at seeing the global icon online and in media interviews.
Messi also met several politicians and celebrities – Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata (at his hotel before the stadium fiasco), opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.
In between these interactions, Messi could be seen waving to large fan gatherings in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children.
There were reports earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister left the country on Monday morning on a scheduled visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman.
Messi’s popularity stems not just from his long international career and wide TV coverage of European football – he’s record scorer for Barcelona, the team he used to play for – but also the emotional connection that millions of Indians have with what is often called the beautiful game.
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