India has been swept by intense Messi fever, with Lionel Messi set to conclude his three-day India tour in New Delhi today (Monday). While the Argentine World Cup-winning captain experienced overwhelming support and excitement from fans, the tour’s opening in Kolkata was marred by controversy and chaos. What was meant to be a celebratory “GOAT India Tour” quickly became clouded by allegations of mismanagement and corruption.
Kolkata Chaos Overshadows Messi’s Arrival
Messi’s first appearance in India did not go as planned. At the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, heavy VVIP presence and tight security meant ordinary spectators struggled to catch even a glimpse of the football icon. Surrounded by officials and guarded closely, Messi left the field after just 22 minutes, far earlier than expected.
Former BJP MP Arjun Singh has now escalated the controversy, alleging corruption worth ₹100 crore in the process of bringing Messi to India. He has demanded a formal probe by India’s Economic Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Speaking to the media, Singh said:
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊. 𝑨 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 ₹10 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 ₹150 𝒕𝒐 ₹200. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 ₹100 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔.”
Fans’ Anger, Allegations, and Calls for Investigation
According to Singh, public anger was fueled not only by Messi’s brief appearance but also by alleged overcharging inside the stadium. He described the early exit of the football legend as a betrayal of fans who paid thousands of rupees for tickets.
The situation inside the stadium spiraled out of control. Angry supporters threw bottles from the stands, broke barriers, and entered the field. Chairs were damaged and, in some instances, set on fire. Police were forced to intervene with baton charges as the Yuva Bharati Sports Complex descended into chaos.
Recalling the scale of the alleged deal, Singh added:
“𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆. 𝑨𝒏 𝑬𝑫 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅.”
In the aftermath, some unruly spectators were seen removing items from the stadium, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee later issued a public apology to Messi on social media.
Despite the turbulent start in Kolkata, Messi’s tour continued more smoothly elsewhere. Still, the allegations and scenes from the opening day have cast a long shadow over what was meant to be a historic celebration of football in India.
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