Messi’s visit highlights growing concerns within Indian football
At a time when the sport is struggling for basic stability, the scale and symbolism of the spending around Messi’s visit raised difficult questions.
At a time when the sport is struggling for basic stability, the scale and symbolism of the spending around Messi’s visit raised difficult questions.
In Delhi, Messi addressed thousands of supporters at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, interacting with fans and players and speaking briefly in Spanish.
Messi, along with teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suárez, was also felicitated with a framed cricket bat and a Team India jersey.
By the time he left, exactly one hour after making a grand entry into the stadium at 5.30 pm, the crowd was satisfied, unlike his 20-odd-minute appearance in Kolkata, which left ardent fans fuming and led to chaotic scenes, including rioting by some angry fans and forced the West Bengal government to initiate a judicial inquiry.
