Football: Messi in India, poor event organisation sparks fan anger

Turin, 13 December (LaPresse) – It had been advertised as the biggest sporting event of the year, featuring one of the greatest footballers on the planet. Leo Messi’s “Goat tour” in India, which was also supposed to include the unveiling of a 21-metre-high statue of him, got off to a controversial start. The Argentine player landed in Calcutta and what followed was chaos, with ministers and politicians surrounding Messi and fans left empty-handed. During a friendly match for which many fans spent up to 12,000 rupees to watch the show, Messi remained on the pitch for only thirty minutes before being taken away without even completing a lap of honour due to the chaos. This angered those present, who subsequently invaded the pitch and caused damage to the facility. Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was “shocked” by the poor management of the event.