Lionel Messi’s tour of India began chaotically on Saturday as fans ripped up seats, threw objects, invaded the pitch and broke the stage after the footballer’s brief appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
Footage from India’s ANI news agency showed hundreds of fans invading the pitch, vandalising the stands and goal nets at the 85,000-capacity stadium.
Thousands of fans had paid up to 12,000 rupees (£100; $133) for access to the event, but ANI details that the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami forward spent just 20 minutes in the stadium, where he was closely surrounded by a large group of people including club team-mates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul.
Chaos engulfed the stands with large parts of the stadium vandalised (Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP via Getty Images)
A subsequent report from ANI said that police used ‘mild force’ to disperse crowds that had gathered outside the Hyatt Regency Kolkata hotel, where Messi was staying during his brief visit to the city.
Messi was starting his three-day tour of the nation, which includes visits to Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
Thousands of seats were ripped up and thrown at security personnel (Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP via Getty Images)
The chief minister of West Bengal state, Mamata Banerjee, apologised to Messi on social media and said she had ordered a probe into the incident. “I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium.
“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident. I am constituting an enquiry committee … the committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.”
A fan hitting the stadium’s sound system with a pole (Ayush Kumar/Getty Images)
The Salt Lake Stadium hosted Messi’s most recent appearance in India, when he played during Argentina’s 1-0 win over Venezuela in 2011.
Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and has a significant football fanbase in a nation where cricket is the most popular sport.
Earlier on Saturday, Messi appeared virtually to unveil a 70-foot statue depicting him holding the 2022 World Cup trophy that was built in his honour in Lake Town, Kolkata.