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After chaos in Kolkata, all eyes on Messi's Hyderabad event; footballer lands in city
Ahead of the Hyderabad event hosting football legent Lionel Messi, Telangana Police outlined the security and logistical arrangements in place.
With chaos at the Saturday Lionel Messi event in West Bengal's Kolkata, attention has now shifted to Telangana's Hyderabad, where authorities say they are prepared to avoid a repeat as the football icon’s ‘G.O.A.T’ India Tour 2025 landed in the city in the evening.
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy welcomed Messi at the Falaknuma Palace, PTI reported.
Messi’s schedule in Hyderabad features a much-awaited 7v7 exhibition football match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expected to join him on the pitch.
The programme will wrap up with a grand musical extravaganza honouring Messi’s illustrious career and his achievements in world football.
Security arrangements in Hyderabad
Ahead of the event, Rachakonda Police Commissioner G Sudheer Babu outlined the security and logistical arrangements in place, assuring fans that adequate measures have been taken to ensure a smooth programme.
"Proper arrangements have been made...4000 police personnel have been deployed...Lionel Messi will have interactions at the stadium...The entire area has been barricaded...," Rachakonda Police Commissioner, G Sudheer Babu, told ANI news agency.
"We are telling the public that this match is not a full fledged match, it is only for one hour. There will be interaction with the public. What has happened in other part will not happen here," he added.
He also spoke about crowd management and the vast size of the stadium, assuring that no ruckus would occur in Hyderabad.
Also Read | 'Messi came for 10 mins': What went wrong at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium that left fans fuming
What happened in Kolkata?
A highly anticipated visit by football star Lionel Messi to Kolkata on Saturday ended abruptly, triggering chaos and disappointment among fans in West Bengal.
Fans had turned up in huge numbers at the Salt Lake Stadium, many having paid exorbitant ticket prices of up to ₹18,000 just to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer. However, their excitement quickly turned to frustration when disorder broke out shortly after Messi’s arrival at the venue.
Messi’s appearance lasted barely 22 minutes, leaving fans furious. Scenes of vandalism followed, with bottles and chairs hurled from the stands, barricades broken, and spectators attempting to storm the ground.
Parts of the stadium, refurbished for the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, were damaged in the unrest.
The Argentine star, who is in India as part of his GOAT India Tour, began his visit with first stop in Kolkata, arriving at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at 2.26 am on Saturday to a massive fan turnout.
He was scheduled to attend a grand felicitation ceremony, which was expected to be graced by his teammates as well as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.
However, the programme was abandoned midway as the situation spiralled out of control, bringing the event to an abrupt end.
