On December 14, Wankhede Stadium, the most popular one in Mumbai, had a very special night when Lionel Messi shared the stage with Indian sports legends Sunil Chhetri and Sachin Tendulkar. The event, which was originally intended to be a tribute to Messi’s illustrious football career, turned out to be a celebration of joy for the fans across the country. Unlike the earlier scenario in Kolkata, the Mumbaikars were very patient, polite, and tasteful throughout the night.
The crowd made their feelings known in a very orderly fashion, which made it easier for Messi to engage in his interactions without restrictions. The whole thing went smoothly, and the audience who were extremely passionate but still very disciplined sent out a clear signal making the night a tribute to the world-famous icon.
Mumbai crowd earns praise after flawless Messi event
Wankhede Stadium was a place of happiness during the night as Lionel Messi mingled with kids, participated in a fun penalty shootout, and changed jerseys with Sunil Chhetri and Sachin Tendulkar. Every fan in the stadium was up and clapping the whole time, bribing touch and interaction with sincere eagerness. The stimulating atmosphere in the stadium was a great contributor to the making of the night as unforgettable.
After the event, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took to social media to congratulate Mumbai’s fans, while at the same time making a not-so-subtle comparison with Kolkata, and claimed the city had once again demonstrated why it should be called the home of the greatest sporting crowd.
“Thank You Mumbai, you are the Real G.O.A.T crowd!” the Chief Minister wrote on his X(Twitter account).
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Kolkata chaos highlights the contrast with Mumbai’s well-managed Messi event
Problematic scenes occurred during the Kolkata match, which when expressed in the fewest words possible, can be described as the fans getting upset largely because they couldn’t see Lionel Messi, who was very much in harm’s way due to the VIPs in the stadium. The scenario was rather inflamed with the supporter’s rage breaking the barriers, slashing the seat’s cushions, and even trespassing to the pitch.
As a result, Messi had to shorten his visit and leave the city sooner than scheduled. Still, he did not call off his other city visits. The events in Hyderabad and Mumbai, which had been the subject of a better organization and more tight security, passed without any incident, providing the fans with an experience that was both polite and unforgettable, which was the opposite of the previous disturbance in Kolkata.
Minor crowd disruption during Fadnavis address at Messi event
Although the event went off without a hitch and was very well accepted, the last moments at Wankhede Stadium produced an unexpected reaction from one group of spectators. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis came on the platform to tell about Project Mahadev, a football development program at the grassroots level. Still, due to political conditions and recent incidents, his speech was not appreciated by all.
When he started his speech and attempted to greet the audience, certain parts of the stadium reacted with loud booing, which made a short interruption to the program flow. The reaction, though, was very noticeable, yet it was not able to overshadow the beautiful and well-managed evening that was celebrating Lionel Messi.
Quick thinking restores calm as Messi prepares for New Delhi visit
The incident was managed in a very composed manner as the leader who had the experience very quickly realized the feeling of the people who were inside the stadium and reacted very wisely. He started chanting “Ganapati Bappa,” and the moment he did that the crowd’s response was a very loud “Morya,” which contributed to the easing of the tension and the redirection of the focus to the party.
The known chant was effective in bringing down the mood and so the evening could be concluded on a positive note. After the Mumbai event, Lionel Messi is next scheduled to move to New Delhi where he would be having an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and after that he would be appearing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium for his India tour’s next stop.
