Anger At Messi Tour In India As Fans Throw Chairs And Bottles At Event

The first extremity connected Lionel Messi's circuit of India descended into chaos arsenic fans ripped up stadium seats and threw items aft his quality astatine Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium was trim short.

Thousands of adoring supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees (£100; $133) to drawback a glimpse of nan shot star, but were near disappointed erstwhile he emerged to locomotion astir nan pitch, and was obscured by a ample group of officials and celebrities.

When nan Argentina and Inter Miami guardant was whisked distant early by information aft astir 20 minutes, elements of nan crowd turned hostile.

West Bengal's main minister, Mamata Banerjee said she was "deeply disturbed and shocked" by nan events.

Messi is successful India for his 'GOAT tour', a bid of promotional events successful Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

His circuit began pinch nan unveiling of a 70ft statue of himself successful Kolkata, which had been assembled complete nan people of 27 days by a 45-strong crew.

It was unveiled virtually owed to information reasons, meaning thousands of fans alternatively travelled to nan city's stadium for a chance to spot nan footballer.

They were chanting, buying jerseys and wearing "I emotion Messi" headbands.

Messi initially walked astir nan stadium waving to fans, but aft his quality was abruptly ended connected Saturday, disappointment fans stormed nan transportation and vandalised banners and tents, arsenic others hurled integrative chairs and h2o bottles.

The 2022 World Cup victor - considered 1 of football's top players of each clip - had been expected to play a short accumulation crippled astatine nan stadium, nan AFP news agency reports.

"Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi ... Why did they telephone america past ... We person sewage a summons for 12 1000 rupees, but we were not moreover capable to spot his face", a instrumentality astatine nan stadium told Indian news agency ANI.

One angry instrumentality told nan Press Trust of India news agency group had paid nan balanced of a month's net to spot nan eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

"I paid Rs 5,000 for nan summons and came pinch my boy to watch Messi not politicians.

"The constabulary and subject unit were taking selfies, and nan guidance is to blame."

Kolkata is nan superior of nan Indian authorities of West Bengal and has a ample shot fanbase successful an different cricket-crazed country.

In nan city, it is communal to spot hundreds of thousands of fans stitchery astatine stadiums astatine a derby of section clubs.

Announcing an enquiry, Banerjee apologised to Messi and "sports lovers" for nan incident astatine nan stadium.

"The [enquiry] committee will behaviour a elaborate enquiry into nan incident, hole responsibility, and urge measures to forestall specified occurrences successful nan future," she said connected X.

In nan early hours of Saturday, thousands lined nan roads and congregated extracurricular nan edifice wherever Messi was staying to effort and drawback a glimpse of him.

Hitesh, a 24-year-old firm lawyer, flew astir 1,900 kilometres from nan southbound Indian metropolis of Bengaluru.

"For maine it's personal. You tin spot I americium rather short, and I emotion to play shot pinch my friends," Hitesh told nan BBC, opinionated successful beforehand of nan statue.

"Messi is nan subordinate I related pinch nan most, nary 1 tin lucifer his talent. He gives maine dream that pinch talent you tin do anything."

It is conscionable a mini portion of India's homage to nan erstwhile Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward.

Fans tin sojourn 'Hola Messi' instrumentality area wherever location is simply a life-sized replica Messi sat connected a throne, a hallway adorned pinch immoderate of his trophies and a recreation of his Miami location complete pinch mannequins of nan subordinate and his family sat connected a balcony.