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Messi’s tour of India gets off to chaotic start with fans throwing bottles | Football News

December 13, 2025
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Argentina football icon Lionel Messi is on a three-day GOAT tour of India ahead of the 2026 defence of FIFA World Cup.

Published On 13 Dec 2025

Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India got off to a rocky start on Saturday with angry fans throwing bottles and attempting to vandalise a stadium after many of them failed to get more than just a glimpse of their hero.

The Times of India reported that many ticket holders said that they failed to see Messi at all – either in person or on the stadium’s big screens – despite waiting for hours.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to the Argentinian football star for the “mismanagement” of the event.

“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium,” Banerjee wrote on social media, where she also apologised to fans who had expected more after paying for tickets.

Police officials speak to the spectators as they throw debris on to the field at Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) during the Lionel Messi G.O.A.T Tour
Police officials speak to spectators as they throw debris onto the field at Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) during the Lionel Messi GOAT tour [Ayush Kumar/Getty Images]

Banerjee said a committee would be constituted to “conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future”.

Messi’s three-day “GOAT (Greatest of All Time) India Tour” was to bring the World Cup winner from Kolkata to Hyderabad and then Mumbai before concluding in New Delhi on Monday.

He was joined by longtime teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.

Earlier on Saturday, Messi remotely “unveiled” a 21-metre (70-foot) statue of himself in Kolkata.

A fan hits a sound system with a pole during the Lionel Messi G.O.A.T Tour
A fan hits a sound system with a pole during the Lionel Messi GOAT tour [Ayush Kumar/Getty Images]

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter once described India as a “sleeping giant” in the football arena, but the sport in the country has run into many problems in recent years.

The Indian Super League (ISL) – India’s top football competition – has been in danger of collapse over a dispute between the federation and its commercial partner.

ISL side Bengaluru FC stopped paying the salaries of its first team’s players and staff as a result of the turmoil.

In a statement in August, the 2018-19 ISL champions said they had taken the decision “in view of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Indian Super League season”.

A 70-foot statue of international footballer Lionel Messi of Argentina was built in Lake Town for the Lionel Messi G.O.A.T Tour
A 21-metre statue of international footballer Lionel Messi of Argentina was built in Lake Town for the Lionel Messi GOAT tour [Ayush Kumar/Getty Images]



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