Messi mania turns into chaos atsSalt lake stadium
Kolkata | Desk: The much-anticipated arrival of football superstar Lionel Messi at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium (Yuva Bharati Krirangan) turned into a scene of utter chaos and disorder instead of a "magical moment." A massive crowd gathered at the stadium to catch a glimpse of Messi, who arrived with his Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez, causing the situation to spiral out of control.
Messi, who arrived during the second half of the Mohun Bagan vs. Diamond Harbour match, was immediately surrounded by police, cameramen, and people on the pitch as soon as his car was spotted, all vying for a glimpse of the Argentine legend. The organizers' repeated pleas of "Please give them space, clear the field" went unheeded.
Messi, dressed in black, remained surrounded by security personnel, but the number of people on the field continued to swell. The 5'7" tall Messi was barely visible from the press box, leading to disappointment among fans who had spent thousands of rupees for a glimpse of their idol.
Consequently, the fans, who had been chanting "Messi, Messi," eventually started booing loudly, protesting the organizers' gross mismanagement. The situation worsened when invited dignitaries, including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, were unable to attend the event due to the chaos, and the event had to be hastily canceled.
The situation became so tense that the organizers of the 'GOAT Tour,' including Satadru Dutta, and security personnel had to quickly escort Messi out after supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress broke through the security cordon and stormed the field. Messi was taken out of the stadium well ahead of schedule.
As Messi departed, disappointed and angry fans began throwing plastic bottles and debris onto the field. Fans who had purchased tickets ranging from Rs 4,500 to Rs 10,000 started vandalizing banners, hoardings, and fiberglass chairs in the stands.
Police eventually had to resort to a baton charge to disperse the unruly crowd. The situation didn't spiral completely out of control thanks to the heavy security presence, but the disturbance cast a dark shadow over this high-profile event dedicated to one of football's greatest global icons.
