Peaceful End to Lionel Messi's India Tour After Unrest in Kolkata

Football superstar Lionel Messi has finished his three-day India tour in hazy Delhi, following a turbulent opening in Kolkata.

On Monday, countless fans congregated in a Delhi stadium to see the Argentina and Inter Miami forward.

As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami colleagues Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, strolled on the pitch – kicking balls into the stands, playing with a group of children, and signing autographs – the crowd chanted his name.

His flight from Mumbai had been postponed due to fog, local media stated, and his schedule had to be trimmed. On Saturday, disappointed fans wrecked a Kolkata stadium because they were unable to view him during his visit there.

A Busy Schedule Across Multiple Cities

Messi had a busy schedule in India, attending a succession of promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai since arriving in the early hours of Saturday.

Before heading to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium later that day, he remotely presented a 21-meter statue of himself, assembled over 27 days by a large crew in the city in eastern India.

Disastrous Kickoff in Soccer-Mad Kolkata

The tour, however, began with a troubled start after frustrated fans destroyed seats and flung items towards the pitch at the stadium.

Football is hugely popular in West Bengal state – of which Kolkata is the capital – and thousands of devoted supporters had forked out up to 12,000 rupees to be at the event.

However, most of them were unable to catch a glimpse of him as he was surrounded by officials and celebrities on his quick walk around the stadium and then hurriedly escorted away as the situation turned hostile.

"Poor management of a much-publicized event, lack of co-ordination" and security lapses turned the stadium into a "war zone", as fans – not allowed even a sight of Messi – "vented their anger by resorting to violence."

The ruckus, which grabbed international headlines, overshadowed Messi's first visit to India since 2011 for what has been dubbed a 'GOAT [greatest of all time] tour'.

The organizer in Kolkata has been taken into custody, police said, and a city court has remanded Satadru Dutta to 14 days in custody.

Successful Engagements in Other Cities

Messi's appearances in Hyderabad and Mumbai concluded peacefully, with fans sharing their delight at seeing the world-famous star on social media and in media interviews.

Messi also met several politicians and celebrities – film actor Shah Rukh Khan in Kolkata, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai.

In between these interactions, Messi could be seen acknowledging large fan gatherings in stadiums and dribbling the ball with groups of children.

There were speculation earlier that Messi would meet Narendra Modi in Delhi, but the Indian prime minister traveled abroad on Monday morning on a pre-arranged visit to Jordan, Ethiopia, and Oman.

The Reason of His Immense Appeal in India

Messi's popularity comes not only from his lengthy international career and extensive TV coverage of European football – he's the record scorer for Barcelona – but also the deep bond that countless Indians have with what is often known as the beautiful game.