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Lionel Messi’s India tour began on a chaotic note on Saturday after angry fans ripped out stadium seats and hurled them onto the pitch at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, according to ANI.
The Argentina and Inter Miami star briefly walked around the ground waving to supporters but left within 20 minutes amid heavy crowding. Videos showed fans breaking seats, throwing objects onto the field and climbing over perimeter fences in frustration.
Messi is in India for a multi-city tour that includes concerts, youth football clinics, a padel tournament and the launch of charitable initiatives across Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.
Several fans complained they were unable to see Messi despite paying high ticket prices. “We paid ₹12,000 but couldn’t even see his face,” one fan told ANI.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to Messi and ordered an enquiry into the incident, calling the mismanagement at the stadium “deeply disturbing.” She said a committee would fix responsibility and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Messi, who played a friendly at the venue in 2011, also virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself in Kolkata during the visit.
