Thousands of football fans gathered at the Kolkata airport early in the morning on December 13 to get a glimpse of their idol, the iconic footballer, Lionel Messi. Later, they turned up at the Salt Lake Stadium to see the superstar. But what could have been a blue moon opportunity to witness the GOAT it turned out to be a nightmare. His presence didn’t allow the people to see the footballer despite paying INR 14000 per ticket.

The former Indian batter and the captain of the Bengal cricket team, Manoj Tiwary, has reacted to the ruckus caused at the same ground. He put a post on his Instagram account where he highlighted that the organizer, Satadru, had already been arrested as he asked for more action from the police authority. 

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“I am speechless about what happened today in my city! This is shambolic! I, being an international sportsperson, can feel how embarrassing it was for Messi today. We all love him, and the craze was well anticipated! Organizer Satadru has already been arrested, and I thank the police department for the prompt action.”

Manoj Tiwary reacts to Salt Lake Stadium's haphazard setup for Lionel Messi turning up

Messi, an icon for the millions of football fans across the world, arrived in India after nearly 14 years. Kolkata was his first stop on the three-day-long India tour. After unveiling a statue of himself in the city, he reached the stadium, where thousands of fans gathered.

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A post shared by MANOJ TIWARY (@mannirocks14)

“The way Satadru played with the hard-earned money and emotion of the football-loving people of Bengal today at the Salt Lake Stadium deserves an alarming punishment. Another case of False promise and complete mismanagement by Satadru! Thankfully, I was not present today.” Tiwary penned down in the same post.

“I always doubted whether he had the credibility of pulling off an event like this in Kolkata. A legend like Leo Messi deserved better. I am sure the Government will take strict action against Satadru and the management. Kolkata didn’t deserve this!” The former player concluded.