Hyderabad will be the second stop on footballing superstar Lionel Messi’s trip to India as he was scheduled to land in the Telangana capital in the afternoon. He will have a packed schedule in Hyderabad before he leaves for the final two cities on his GOAT Tour trip: Mumbai and New Delhi.
The event in Kolkata saw chaos after fans invaded the pitch and threw projectiles after being left angry at Messi’s short stay in the middle. After the vandalism encountered at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, where fans also invaded the pitch and tired to burn the sofas for VIPs, the superstar flew to Hyderabad. But the event in Telangana will be a much better managed event, assured Shiva Sena Reddy, the Chairman of Sports Authority of Telangana.
Reddy assured fans, via an interview with news agency PTI, that Lionel Messi’s Hyderabad appearance will be conducted smoothly. “Today there will be a small 20-minute friendly game between Messi and CM’s XIs. It will be followed by Messi holding a football clinic for young players. I would like to assure that what happened in Kolkata earlier in the day will not happen here in Hyderabad, we have enough police force deployed to manage things and a small request to the fans that they should also be calm.”
Angry fans in Kolkata invade the pitch at Salt Lake Stadium after Lionel Messi left after a brief appearance during the GOAT Tour. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)
Lionel Messi’s full itinerary in Hyderabad
7:50 PM IST – Match kick-off
8:06 PM – Entry of the Hon’ble Chief Minister onto the pitch
8:07 PM – Lionel Messi enters the pitch
8:08 PM – Entry of Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez
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8:11 PM – Messi and the Hon’ble Chief Minister dribble the ball
Fans pose amidst the ruins of banners and chairs during the Kolkata leg of Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour inside the Salt Lake Stadium. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)
8:13 PM – Penalty shootout (three shots per team) to decide the GOAT Cup
8:15 PM – Group photo with both teams
8:33 PM – Special penalty shootout featuring Messi (organiser as goalkeeper)
8:38 PM – Parade walk around the stadium, with Messi waving to fans
8:48 PM – Guests introduced on stage
8:51 PM – Messi greets organisers and team owners; photo session
8:53 PM – GOAT Cup presentation by Lionel Messi
8:54 PM – Felicitation of Lionel Messi by the Hon’ble Chief Minister
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8:55 PM – Felicitation of Luis Suárez
8:56 PM – Felicitation of Rodrigo De Paul
8:57 PM – Event sign-off
8:58 PM – Final remarks by the Hon’ble Chief Minister
8:59 PM – Remarks by Rahul Gandhi
9:00 PM – Exit of all dignitaries from the stadium
9:05 PM – Dispersal announcements
9:10 PM – Final closure of the event