Lionel Messi's tour of India kicked off chaotically on Saturday as fans threw objects, ripped up seats and invaded the pitch at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium after the Argentine soccer great made only a brief appearance at a ticketed event.

KOLKATA, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi's tour of India kicked off chaotically on Saturday as fans threw objects, ripped up seats, invaded the pitch and broke the stage after the soccer great made only a brief stadium appearance,

Messi is visiting India as part of what's billed as his "GOAT Tour" and he is set to tour four cities in total: Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Messi visited Kolkata, the former capital of British-ruled India,

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Messi's appearance was abruptly cut short after 20 mins as fans began throwing debris in reaction to being kept at a distance from the star