Name: Messi’s tour of India turns to chaos
Uploaded: 2025-12-14T08:03:34.621Z
Duration: 2 min 25 s
Description: Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India got off to a rocky start on Saturday with angry fans throwing bottles and attempting to vandalise a stadium after many of them failed to get more than just a glimpse of their hero.

Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India got off to a rocky start on Saturday with angry fans throwing bottles and attempting to vandalise a stadium after many of them failed to get more than just a glimpse of their hero.

Delhi

Football star Lionel Messi visited India as part of a three-day tour, drawing large crowds in cities like Hyderabad and Kolkata. While Messi delighted fans in Hyderabad with an exhibition match and extended interaction, his short 20-minute appearance in Kolkata left many supporters disappointed and frustrated.

The event in Kolkata faced organizational issues, with fans paying significant amounts for tickets and some even making personal sacrifices to attend. The chaos led to the detention of the tour organizer and prompted an apology and investigation order from the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Messi’s tour of India turns to chaos

Football superstar Lionel Messi has told fans in India he's honoured to be touring the country. The Argentinian World Cup winner delighted a huge crowd at Hyderabad's cricket stadium. He hicked a ball around during an exhibition match and spent nearly an hour walking around the pitch waving to fans. But an earlier visit to Kolkata descended into chaos. David Stokes reports. All smiles, he's basking in all the glory. This was the moment football fans in Kolkata were waiting for, Lionel Messi making an appearance at the city's Salt Lake Stadium. Thousands had queued for hours to get a glimpse of their hero in the flesh. But a glimpse is all it turned out to be. Flanked by a large entourage, most fans could barely see Argentina's World Cup winner and he left after only 20 minutes. It didn't go down well with some of the supporters who showed their frustration. Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal, which has a large football fan base in a country dominated by cricket. Fans had paid up to $150 to see Messi, with one couple even cancelling their honeymoon to attend. There's a large number of fans who support Argentina, who've supported Argentina right from the days of Diego Maradona and Messi was always seen as the rightful heir to Maradona. Anyone who didn't expect a big crowd was fooling themselves and if such a huge crowd was there and then arrangements weren't made for that crowd to be sent home happy, then certain questions need to be answered. A statue of Messi was unveiled in Kolkata earlier in the day, with the player joining the ceremony virtually. Messi is on a three-day tour of India, which is scheduled to include a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The man behind the tour is Sethadru Dutta, pictured here in the glasses. He's been detained by police following the chaos in Kolkata. The Chief Minister of West Bengal's state has apologised to Messi and ordered an investigation into what happened. David Stokes, Al Jazeera.

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