How Messi’s GOAT tour of India hit trouble

Lionel Messi made headlines for all the wrong reasons on Saturday when his three-day tour of India descended into violence.

The Argentina legend was visiting the city of Kolkata at the start of a whistle-stop visit taking in four cities.

Many of Messi’s fans were left feeling short-changed when they failed to get a glimpse of one of the world’s most famous players.

It was the first time Messi had been to India since 2011.

Fresh from helping Inter Miami win the MLS Cup for the first time, Messi was embarking on a promotional tour.

It was called the GOAT India Tour 2025 – GOAT meaning ‘greatest of all time’.

Messi was joined by Uruguay star Luis Suarez and Argentina’s Rodrigo de Paul, who also play for Inter Miami.

The tour started in Kolkata on Saturday. The trio moved on to Hyderabad later that day, then to Mumbai on Sunday before finishing in New Delhi on Monday.

There was a variety of ticket options to suit budgets.

For access to the stadium only, face value tickets cost 3,500 rupees (£29) for Kolkata and Hyderabad. For New Dehli, the price was 4,200 rupees (£35).

However, this is about half the average weekly wage in India. But with tickets sold out, fans were paying much more for the chance to see Messi.

Reports in Indian media said some locals had paid up to 12,000 rupees (£99) to get in.

Messi landed in Kolkata at 01:30 local time. Thousands lined the roads and congregated outside his hotel to catch a glimpse of him.

The day began with the meet-and-greet ticket holders first up from 09:00 to 10:30.

Then the day took a strange twist.

A 70ft statue of Messi lifting the World Cup was unveiled by the former Barcelona icon.

But he was not present – it was a virtual unveiling. He was on a video screen and pressed a button on a remote control. At this point a blue sheet dropped to reveal the huge iron structure.

Messi met with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan before heading to Salt Lake Stadium for 11:30.

The plan was for him to be at the ground for an hour. He was gone after only 20 minutes and violence erupted because ticket holders did not get to see Messi among the throng of security, politicians and celebrities.

“Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi. Why did they call us then? We have got a ticket for 12,000 rupees, but we were not even able to see his face,” a fan at the stadium told Indian news agency ANI.

One angry supporter told the Press Trust of India news agency that people had paid the equivalent of a month’s salary to see the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“I paid 5,000 rupees for the ticket and came with my son to watch Messi, not politicians,” they said.

“The police and military personnel were taking selfies, and the management is to blame.”

There was supposed to be a friendly match, more of kickabout, with some local players but this did not happen.

Messi was whisked off to Hyderabad.

Messi walked out at the stadium waving to fans, but after his appearance was abruptly ended some frustrated supporters stormed the pitch and vandalised banners and tents, while others hurled plastic chairs and water bottles.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she was “deeply disturbed and shocked” by the events.

Announcing an enquiry, Banerjee apologised to Messi and “sports lovers” for the scenes at the stadium.

“The [enquiry] committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future,” she added on X.

A spokesperson for Messi said he fulfilled the time commitment that had been agreed in advance. In terms of the organisation of the event itself, he referred the BBC to the apology issued by Banerjee on social media.

Kolkata’s Telegraph newspaper said in an editorial piece that “poor management of a hyped-up event, lack of co-ordination” and security lapses turned the stadium into a “battlefield”.

The rest of the tour appears to have gone without a hitch, with fans getting to see Messi, Suarez and De Paul.

The Times of India reported how the event in Hyderabad went smoothly, with the stands full and Messi staying on the pitch for a full hour.

After leaving Hyderabad, on Sunday Messi met with India cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.