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Lionel Messi's scheduled visit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been cancelled due to a delay in flights. Messi was supposed to fly to Delhi, India, for the proposed visit as part of the final leg of the GOAT India Tour.
Lionel Messi landed in India on Saturday (December 13) for a three-day GOAT Tour, organised by Satadru Datta. His itinerary included visits to four cities, starting with Kolkata and Hyderabad on December 13, Mumbai on December 14, and Delhi on December 15. Each city included events with fans, with Messi also meeting prominent figures and leaders in the country. The legendary Argentine is also accompanied by his teammates, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.
According to the Indian Express, Lionel Messi's scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cancelled on Monday, December 15. Due to adverse weather conditions in Delhi, multiple flights were cancelled this morning, while the Argentine's flight was delayed by a few hours.
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The Indian Prime Minister is slated to visit Oman, Ethiopia and Jordan to discuss bilateral ties with India today, leading to the cancellation of his meeting with Messi. The scheduled meeting was set to be for 21 minutes, the report mentioned. Moreover, the Argentine's scheduled event with fans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium has also been delayed. An announcement in front of the Gautam Gambhir stand said:
"Due to adverse weather conditions, Messi’s flight has been delayed. The event will commence 40 minutes later than scheduled."
The event in Delhi will reportedly include an exhibition match, the inauguration of a football clinic with young players, and a stage programme with celebrities and other esteemed guests. This will mark the end of Lionel Messi's India tour leg, with him set to leave the country late on Monday (December 15) or in the early hours of December 16.
Lionel Messi addresses Indian fans in Hyderabad on the first day of the GOAT Tour
On December 13, Lionel Messi began his highly anticipated India tour with a visit to Kolkata, followed by an event in Hyderabad in the evening. During the event in the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, Messi addressed Indian fans for the first time in this tour. He said (via Times of India):
"Thank you very much for all your affection. It's an honour for us to be able to spend these days here in India with you, so I am truly grateful. Thank you so much."
Messi's India tour began on a difficult note in Kolkata, as the legendary Argentine left the Salt Lake Stadium early. Fans were unable to get a glimpse of the superstar due to local politicians and allegedly unauthorized crowds surrounding him during his stadium visit. Further, scheduled events with the Argentine were also cancelled.
Organizer of the GOAT tour, Satadru Datta, was detained by the local police with reported discussions of tickets being refunded to fans. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee publicly apologized to Messi for the chaos in an official statement.
However, the rest of the tour went smoothly, with Messi greeting fans in Hyderabad and Mumbai.
