Kolkata: Football legend Lionel Messi, who is on a three-day tour of India, arrived in Kolkata on Saturday morning, and thousands of football fans, braving the cold, had been waiting since midnight to welcome the Argentine superstar. Kolkata was completely Messi-mad.
Messi virtually unveiled the 70-feet-tall statue in Laketown at 10.30 am today along with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. Messi did not go there due to security reasons. Later, Lionel Messi arrived at the Salt Lake Stadium and waved to the fans who had been waiting since morning for a glimpse of the football icon.
The Salt Lake Stadium was literally a battlefield after Messi arrived. Spectators who had paid a hefty sum to see Argentine football icon Lionel Messi stormed the ground after they were unable to see the player on the field, grabbing chairs and throwing objects at him.
The main organisers of the Lionel Messi event in Kolkata have been arrested for allegedly causing chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium, West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar said.
The organisers have been directed to refund the ticket money to the disappointed spectators, the DGP said.