The opening leg of Lionel Messi’s a lot anticipated GOAT Tour devolved into chaos as upset followers resorted to throwing bottles and trying to interrupt gates between stands after the Argentine famous person’s fleeting look earlier than a jam-packed crowd at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
The incident occurred after Messi left the sector after solely 20 minutes after arriving on the stadium at 11.30 AM through automotive. As quickly as Messi entered the bottom, he was surrounded by a human barricade of safety in addition to lots of different folks. Even on repeated requests, the sector was not cleared and the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner, who was waving on the followers, finally needed to be escorted out.
Followers vandalise a portion of the stands on the Salt Lake Stadium shortly after Messi’s exit from the sector. (Categorical Photograph by Sayak Dutta)
Chaos ensued as quickly as Messi exited the sector. Followers who had paid tickets ranging between Rs 3.8k to Rs 11,800, raised loud jeers after which the state of affairs turned worse. The followers then began to throw chairs in addition to bottles into the bottom whereas hundreds invaded the bottom. The occasion, which was marketed to be a celebration of Messi, ended prematurely in disappointment for the Kolkata followers.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Offended followers resort to vandalism on the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, alleging poor administration of the occasion.
Star footballer Lionel Messi has left the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
A fan of star footballer Lionel Messi mentioned, “Completely horrible… pic.twitter.com/TOf2KYeFt9
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025
Earlier within the day, Messi just about unveiled his 70-foot statue in Lake City, Kolkata, earlier than heading to the Salt Lake Stadium.
“We’ve talked to his supervisor, and at this time we’ll discuss to Messi… He gave his consent for the statue, and they’re additionally completely happy…,” Trinamool Congress MLA Sujit Bose advised ANI.
“We constructed this statue in 40 days. It is a very massive statue, 70 ft in peak. There isn’t a different statue of Messi this massive on the earth. Messi is coming to Kolkata, and there are lots of followers of Messi.”
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