Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday reached Uppal Stadium to witness the friendly match between football icon Lionel Messi and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy.
Rahul Gandhi was seen sitting in the stadium stands, while Telangana CM Revanth Reddy was seen playing football with Messi.
Later, Rahul Gandhi was seen standing alongside Messi and CM Reddy on the ground. The football icon also presented a signed Argentina football jersey to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Congress party also posted a clip of the moment on X."๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ข ๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐จ ๐๐๐ฑ," the caption of the post read.
Earlier, there were reports that Rahul Gandhi would also be part of the contest. However, he did not take part in the game.
Earlier in the day, Messi arrived at the Salt Lake Stadium but remained at the venue for less than 10 minutes before leaving. His scheduled lap of honour was reportedly curtailed due to overcrowding by politicians, officials, and their families surrounding the football icon.
As Messi exited the stadium, sections of the crowd booed officials and politicians, with tempers flaring inside the venue. Several fans later took to social media to complain about long waiting hours, poor crowd control, and inadequate planning, stating that the experience fell far short of expectations for an event featuring a global football legend.
Many fans who paid a whopping amount for tickets couldn't even spot the football icon in the crowd that surrounded him.
Meanwhile, the police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata. The development came hours after widespread chaos at the venue. which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
After Messi left the stadium, angry fans also reportedly resorted to vandalism, alleging poor event management.
