What was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime football spectacle for Kolkata plunged into chaos on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of Argentine icon Lionel Messi, despite paying hefty sums for tickets.

Messi’s much-hyped visit to the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, his first appearance at the venue since 2011, turned into a disorderly affair marked by crowd breaches, vandalism and frantic police intervention, casting a shadow over an event billed as a celebration of one of football’s greatest global stars. Video Credit: Businessline

The police had to baton-charge to disperse the crowd on the field.

The World Cup-winning captain arrived at the stadium around 11.30 am, accompanied by long-time strike partner

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