🔗 Share this article Peaceful End to Messi's Visit to India Following Disorder in Kolkata Messi concluded his India tour with an engagement at a stadium in Delhi on Monday. Football superstar Lionel Messi has concluded his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, in the wake of a turbulent opening in Kolkata. On Monday, countless fans assembled in a Delhi stadium to catch a sight of the Argentinian and Inter Miami forward. As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami colleagues Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, entered the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd roared his name. His flight from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, reports stated, and his itinerary had to be shortened. On Saturday, disappointed fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his visit there. A Busy Itinerary Spanning Several Metropolises Messi had a packed schedule in India, attending a succession of brand events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the pre-dawn of Saturday. Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India. Chaotic Beginning in Football-Crazy Kolkata A supporter shows a shirt of Messi at the event in Delhi. The tour, however, began with a disastrous start after angry fans destroyed seats and hurled items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is immensely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and a multitude of ardent supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to witness the event. However, the majority failed to see him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation turned hostile. "Poor management of a hyped-up event, lack of co-ordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – not allowed even a sight of Messi – "expressed their fury by engaging in violence." The ruckus, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Successful Engagements in Hyderabad and Mumbai Messi played football with kids at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the world-famous star on social media and in media interviews. Messi also met several political figures and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. Messi digitally presented a massive statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi met Indian sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these interactions, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan gatherings in stadiums and playing football with groups of children. There were speculation 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. The Root of Messi's Great Appeal in India Messi's fame comes not only from his long international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the emotional connection that a huge number of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.
Messi concluded his India tour with an engagement at a stadium in Delhi on Monday. Football superstar Lionel Messi has concluded his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, in the wake of a turbulent opening in Kolkata. On Monday, countless fans assembled in a Delhi stadium to catch a sight of the Argentinian and Inter Miami forward. As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami colleagues Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, entered the pitch – booting balls into the stands, passing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd roared his name. His flight from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, reports stated, and his itinerary had to be shortened. On Saturday, disappointed fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his visit there. A Busy Itinerary Spanning Several Metropolises Messi had a packed schedule in India, attending a succession of brand events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since touching down in the pre-dawn of Saturday. Before traveling to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a 70ft (21m) statue of himself, constructed over 27 days by a 45-person crew in the city in eastern India. Chaotic Beginning in Football-Crazy Kolkata A supporter shows a shirt of Messi at the event in Delhi. The tour, however, began with a disastrous start after angry fans destroyed seats and hurled items towards the pitch at the stadium. Football is immensely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and a multitude of ardent supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees to witness the event. However, the majority failed to see him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his brief walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation turned hostile. "Poor management of a hyped-up event, lack of co-ordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "scene of chaos", as fans – not allowed even a sight of Messi – "expressed their fury by engaging in violence." The ruckus, which made international headlines, cast a shadow over Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been termed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'. The organizer in Kolkata has been arrested, police said, and a city court has ordered Satadru Dutta to 14 days in police custody. Successful Engagements in Hyderabad and Mumbai Messi played football with kids at a stadium in Delhi. Messi's events in Hyderabad and Mumbai went off without a hitch, with fans showing their happiness at seeing the world-famous star on social media and in media interviews. Messi also met several political figures and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, political figure Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. Messi digitally presented a massive statue of himself in Kolkata. Messi met Indian sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai. In between these interactions, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan gatherings in stadiums and playing football with groups of children. There were speculation 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. The Root of Messi's Great Appeal in India Messi's fame comes not only from his long international career and broad TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the emotional connection that a huge number of Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.