Indian football in 2025: the Messi moment and the ground truth
But once the excitement settled, Indian football was left facing reality again. The love for the game was never in doubt, but what remained missing was progress.
But once the excitement settled, Indian football was left facing reality again. The love for the game was never in doubt, but what remained missing was progress.
Ganguly has sought ₹50 crore in damages for defamation, accusing Saha of falsely linking his name to the chaos that erupted during Messi’s appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta attended the event along with Jay Shah, who presented Messi with the No. 10 Indian cricket team jersey. Suárez received a No. 9 jersey, while De Paul was handed No. 7.
During his stay in Delhi, Messi is scheduled to attend several high-profile private meetings, including interactions with senior government officials.
Reacting to the incident and the heavy presence of political figures around Messi, Chaubey said the event appeared to have been hijacked for personal and political interests.
Messi checked in at the Taj Hotel, Mumbai, and is scheduled to begin his engagements around 4:30 PM IST.
Messi’s Kolkata leg of the tour descended into disorder after the Argentine football icon left the stadium early, triggering anger among fans who had paid high ticket prices.
The statue featuring Messi holding the FIFA World Cup trophy was completed in a mere 40 days by the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club at Lake Town in South Dum Dum, Kolkata.
Messi departed the stadium amid growing fan frustration, with bottles and chairs reportedly thrown inside the venue. Police were deployed to control the situation and restore order.
The police have arrived and are trying to manage the disappointed crowd booing the officials and politicians.
