The 'Messy' Messi Event Timeline: Here's What Happened

Kolkata: The much-hyped Kolkata leg of the G.O.A.T. Tour turned chaotic at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan on Saturday as fans who reportedly paid thousands, and came in the Salt Lake Stadium to watch Argentina's football legend Lionel Messi were left disappointed. They claimed that they could not get a clear glimpse of the football star since they claimed Ministers and leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress government surrounded him. 

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced an enquiry committee to invesigate what went wrong that the event which could have been a historic moment for the City of Joy turned to be chaotic and tragic.

As allegations and counter-allegations follow over what could have gone wrong into the event's management, Republic takes a closer look at the timeline of the events that took place at the stadium on Saturday. 

11:43 AM: Lionel Messi arrived at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. It was his second appearance at the stadium.

11:48 AM: Messi fans went gaga as they could not control their excitement as Messi entered the stadium.

12:12 PM: Mohun Bagan, a popular football club based in Kolkata gifted their official jersey to Messi.

12:23 PM: Things started to spiral out of control in the Salt Lake Stadium. Visuals showed bottles and chairs were thrown. Amid all this chaos, Messi was escorted out of the stadium.

12:53 PM: Fans were left gutted as they failed to get a glimpse of Messi in the crowd of influential people that surrounded him.

1:05 PM: Fans in Kolkata demanded a complete refund of their ticket prices as Messi was taken out of the stadium prematurely. Several of these fans had travelled from far corners of the country to catch his glimpse.

1:17 PM: Massive chaos erupted in Kolkata as frustrated fans vandalised the stadium by breaking seats and hurling chairs.

1::27 PM: Visuals from the stadium showed that police used mild force to disperse the crowd who had come down from the stands.

1:39 PM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee posted on X saying that she was “shocked” by the mismanagement at the stadium and added that she was also on her way to the stadium to attend the event. Issuing an apology, she announced the constitution of an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, to conduct a detailed investigation of the incident.

1:50 PM: One of the fans was injured in the chaos that took place at the Salt Lake Stadium.

2:03 PM: West Bengal BJP demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Sports Minister Aroop Biswas over the mismanagement at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

2:09 PM: Police personnel resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd that had gathered outside the hotel where Messi was lodged.

Fans claimed that they had purchased tickets for around Rs 12,000 to see him but were left disheartened when they could not spot him. Claiming full refund of their ticket, they alleged that it was a massive 'scam' by the ruling dispensation and should be investigated. 

Earlier in the day, Messi virtually inaugurated a 70-foot-tall statue of himself at Lake Town in Kolkata, along with West Bengal Minister and Sree Bhumi Sporting Club President Sujit Bose. Messi arrived in the City of Joy early on Saturday morning. 

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