KOLKATA: Lionel Messi’s tour of India got off to a chaotic start on Saturday as fans threw objects, tore seats and stormed the pitch at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium after the Argentine footballer made only a brief appearance at a ticketed event.
Satadru Dutta, the main organizer of the event, was arrested by police, said Rajeev Kumar, director general of West Bengal police.
Messi was scheduled for a 45-minute visit to the stadium, but his appearance lasted just 20 minutes. Tickets for the event were priced from around 3,500 rupees ($38.65) – more than half the average weekly income in India – but one fan said he had paid $130.
Fans at the Salt Lake Stadium in the capital of the eastern state of West Bengal threw torn seats and other objects onto the pitch, while several people climbed a fence around the pitch and threw objects.
“I can’t believe there was so much mismanagement,” said Eddie Lal Hmangaihzuala, who had traveled nearly 1,500 kilometers from Mizoram in two days to attend the event.
“Messi left quickly, I think he felt insecure. I hardly saw him at all,” he said. Reuters.
Tour organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We have already arrested the main organizer,” Rajeev Kumar told reporters. “We are taking measures so that this mismanagement does not go unpunished.
“He has already given a written undertaking that the tickets sold for the event should be refunded,” he added.
The Prime Minister apologizes, orders an investigation
Messi is in India as part of a tour in which he is scheduled to attend concerts, youth soccer clinics and padel tournaments, and launch charity initiatives at events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologized to Messi and ordered an inquiry into the incident.
“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at the Salt Lake Stadium,” Banerjee, who was on her way to the event when the chaos broke out, posted on X.
“I sincerely apologize to Lionel Messi, as well as all sports fans and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” he said.
He said he is setting up a committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident, assign responsibility and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in future.
The states of West Bengal, Kerala and Goa have long had huge football followings in otherwise cricket-mad India.
Several incidents of fan riots have taken place at the Salt Lake Stadium, including during a Kolkata derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in 2012, which was abandoned when a brick thrown from the stands hit a player, seriously injuring him.
Argentine football great Diego Maradona visited Kolkata twice and in 2017 unveiled a statue of himself holding the World Cup in front of thousands of fans.
Messi, who captained Argentina for the first time in a friendly match at the Salt Lake Stadium in a 1-0 win over Venezuela in 2011, effectively unveiled a 70-foot statue of him in Kolkata earlier on Saturday.
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