Angry spectators broke through barricades and stormed the field at a stadium in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata after soccer star Lionel Messi left the field earlier than expected.
Messi, who is on a three-day visit dubbed the “GOAT Tour”, arrived in the eastern state of West Bengal early Saturday. Fans welcomed the 38-year-old Argentine and Inter Miami forward by chanting his name.
How did Messi’s fans react to his Kolkata visit?
At the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, Messi walked around the field and waved to the crowd before leaving the stadium ahead of schedule.
Frustrated spectators, some of whom had paid more than 12,000 rupees (€113, $132) for tickets, broke seats, threw water bottles on the track and vandalized banners and tents. Others ran onto the pitch before security intervened.
“For me, seeing Messi is a joy, a dream. But because of the mismanagement at the stadium, I missed the chance to see him,” businessman Nabin Chatterjee, 37, told AFP news agency.
Indian news agency ANI said the football player, considered the greatest of his generation, was earlier taken out of the airport via an alternate route as a large number of people had come to the airport to catch a glimpse of him.
Messi is visiting India as part of his “GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Tour” and is set to visit four cities in total: Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Messi visited Kolkata, the former capital of British-ruled India, for the first time in 2011.
This time, the football-mad city built a 70-foot-tall statue to mark his visit. The statue was inaugurated on Saturday with Messi attending the ceremony.
Messi is in India for less than 72 hours
Messi, who won Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player award for the second consecutive season after leading Inter Miami to MLS Cup glory, is scheduled to visit Hyderabad and Mumbai before concluding the tour in New Delhi on Monday.
Messi is going to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
The 2022 World Cup winner is set to cover India in less than 72 hours.
Messi is also accompanied on the tour by his Inter Miami club-mates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar