'The god of soccer' Lionel Messi (38, Inter Miami) turned his head from rowdy Indian fans.
Inter Miami is conducting a tour visiting four major Indian cities from Sept. 13 to 15. Alongside Messi, the club is holding youth soccer clinics, charity events and a statue unveiling for Messi.
The highlight is the largest statue of a soccer player in the world modeled on Messi. Many Indian fans paid 12,000 rupees (about 130,000 won) for admission to see the 21-meter-tall Messi statue.
The India tour ran into trouble from the first day. The Messi statue unveiling at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium on Sept. 13 did not proceed properly. Indian fans who came to see Messi failed to keep order, damaged seats and rushed onto the pitch.
Messi walked a short distance inside the stadium with teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, waving to fans. But as fans rioted, security cordons prevented most fans from even seeing Messi's face. The event ended 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.
Fans complained, "I bought a 12,000-rupee (about 130,000-won) ticket but couldn't even properly see Messi's face."
Feeling threatened, Messi had to leave the stadium without properly seeing the Indian fans. The event left both Messi and the fans dissatisfied.
Kolkata Governor Mamata Banerjee officially apologized, saying, "I express deep shock and regret at the chaos and management failures witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium."
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