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Police personnel used mild force to disperse the angry crowd that had gathered outside the hotel where star footballer Lionel Messi was staying in Kolkata, during the first leg of his GOAT India Tour, on Saturday.
Fans in large numbers were gathered outside Hyatt Regency Kolkata after Messi left Kolkata earlier than anticipated. Angry fans also vandalised the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where Messi was present along with footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, alleging poor management of the event. Police had to use mild force to disperse the angry crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium, too. The situation got out of control when many fans who had paid a hefty sum to catch a glimpse of the Messi became angry and tried to enter the ground to vandalise the tent and the goal post. To control the situation, police personnel used mild force to disperse the angry crowd from the ground. Speaking to ANI, angry fans accused the Ministers and politicians of hogging Messi's time and failing to deliver on promises. "Absolutely terrible event. He came for just 10 minutes. All the leaders and ministers surrounded him. We couldn't see anything. He didn't take a single kick or a single penalty. They said they would bring Shah Rukh Khan too. They didn't bring anyone. He came for 10 minutes and left. So much money, emotions, and time wasted. We couldn't see anything," said one fan. One angry fan claimed that he had bought a ticket for Rs 12 thousand but didn't see Lionel Messi's face during the event. "Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi...Why did they call us then... We have got a ticket for 12 thousand, but we were not even able to see his face," he said. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to fans after Messi's Kolkata event turned into chaos. "I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident," Mamta Banerjee wrote on X. "I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members. The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers," West Bengal CM added. (ANI)
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