West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday ordered a high-level inquiry into the chaos during football legend Lionel Messi’s concert at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium), expressed regret over the mismanagement and apologized to the Argentinian legend, his fans and sports lovers.
The Chief Minister’s comments came after fans angry over poor crowd management and Messi’s brief presence at the stadium allegedly vandalized parts of the stadium. Following the incident, the state government announced the formation of an inquiry committee to fix responsibility and recommend corrective measures to prevent such incidents in future.
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She further said, “I wholeheartedly apologize to Lionel Messi as well as all sports lovers and his fans for this unfortunate incident. I am constituting an inquiry committee headed by Justice (Retd) Ashish Kumar Rai with the Chief Secretary of the Department of Home and Hill Affairs and Additional Chief Secretary as members.”
The Chief Minister further said that the committee will conduct a detailed investigation into the incident. Banerjee said, “The committee will conduct a detailed investigation into the incident, determine the culprits and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future. I once again offer my heartfelt apology to all sports lovers.”
Following this, many disappointed fans criticized the ministers and politicians, saying that they were monopolizing Messi’s time and failing to fulfill promises of bringing actors like Shah Rukh Khan. Speaking to ANI, angry fans accused the ministers and politicians of wasting Messi’s time and failing to fulfill promises like bringing film stars like Shah Rukh Khan to the event.
Earlier, on Saturday, Messi had virtually inaugurated his 70-foot tall statue in Kolkata’s Lake Town along with West Bengal Minister and Shree Bhoomi Sporting Club President Sujit Bose.
The Argentine football legend reached Kolkata early on Saturday, where he was given a warm welcome by the fans. A large number of enthusiastic supporters had gathered at prominent places in Kolkata, desperate to catch a glimpse of the global football icon. This popularity reflects the immense popularity of Messi in the country, especially in West Bengal.
Showing its admiration for Lionel Messi, Shree Bhoomi Sporting Club has completed the construction of a 70-foot tall iron statue at Lake Town in South Dumdum, Kolkata. The statue depicts Messi holding the FIFA World Cup trophy, symbolizing his historic win with Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar. The statue will be unveiled virtually by Messi himself, making the occasion even more special for the fans.