What was meant to be a magical moment turned into a chaotic situation as Lionel Messi touched down on the turf of the Yuba Bharati Krirangan aka Salt Lake stadium in the Kolkata suburb of Bidhannagar.
Accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez, the trio was greeted with joy, and a good dose of chaos
Angry fans hurl plastic bottles after failing to catch a glimpse of Messi
Police, cameramen and pitch invaders flocked to get the best sight of Messi. The only plea from the organisers: “Please give him space, please vacate the field.”
Messi arrived in the stadium during the second half of the Mohun Bagan vs Diamond Harbour match. Everyone who had access to the field ran towards the Audi carrying the Argentine superstar.
Clad in black, Messi was closely followed by security. Over 15 minutes on the ground and with the number of people only growing, the management was unable to clear a view for fans who paid in thousands for a glimpse of their idol.
Messi on the field
Messi was also accompanied by organiser Satadru Dutta and Bengal minister Aroop Biswas, both of whom tried their best to provide a clear sight of Messi to the audience.
Messi, who stands at 5’7”, was barely visible even from the press box and the photographers played a guessing game as to where exactly the GOAT was.
Fans who chanted “Messi Messi” at the top of their lungs also broke into a resounding boo at the gross mismanagement of the event.
Moments after Messi emerged from the tunnel, the situation spiralled out of control. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who had arrived in Kolkata for the special event, along with former India captain Sourav Ganguly and chief minister Mamata Banerjee, were unable to be part of the programme as the event was cut short amid the chaos.
Such was the situation that Dutta, organiser of the ‘GOAT Tour’, along with security personnel, had to whisk Messi away as the Salt Lake Stadium turned into a scene of political one-upmanship, with supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress breaching security and entering the field of play.
Fans break barricades and enter the ground at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata Amit Datta
Frustration mounted as chants of “We want Messi” echoed across the stands.
Tempers flared when the Argentine star was escorted out of the stadium within minutes, well before several invited dignitaries arrived.
Disappointed supporters hurled bottles onto the field and damaged banners, hoardings and plastic chairs in the galleries.
At the time of filing this report, some spectators were attempting to rip open gallery barricades and force their way onto the pitch, with police having a tough time containing them, eyewitnesses said.
The situation did not completely spiral out of control as Messi was taken out earlier than scheduled and additional security was deployed, but the unrest cast a shadow over the high-profile event meant to celebrate one of football’s biggest global icons.
After Messi’s departure, angry fans hurled plastic bottles and trash on the ground.
Fans, who had paid between Rs 4,500 and Rs 10,000 for tickets to watch the Argentine star, hurled bottles and damaged fibreglass seats, forcing the police to intervene as they struggled to bring the situation under control.
“Here, a glass of cold drink costs Rs 150–200, yet we couldn’t even catch a glimpse of Messi. People have spent a month’s salary to see him. I paid Rs 5,000 for the ticket and came with my son to watch Messi not politicians. The police and military personnel were taking selfies, and the management is to blame. There wasn’t even drinking water available,” an angry fan, Ajay Shah, told PTI.
Police lathi-charged to disperse the enraged crowd that ran amok at the stadium following Messi's exit.
