VIP stars all around, block view from the stands Kolkata: Frenzy at dawn. Fury till noon.

There was chaos till afternoon. Lionel Messi’s much-hyped Kolkata appearance turned out to be an uproar at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, when thousands of fans who paid dearly to catch a glimpse of the football icon barely saw him for minutes – if at all – before they were escorted out, leading to vandalism, pitch invasion and widespread outrage. About 60,000 fans, many of whom wore Argentina’s blue and white stripes with “Messi” emblazoned across their backs, packed the stands from early in the morning.

Tickets are priced between Rs 5,000 to Rs 16,000. Expectations increased.

The anger broke. Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain stepped onto the field at 11.

30 am to a deafening roar. Within moments he was surrounded by a crowd of VIPs, officials and selfie seekers.

Fifteen minutes later, with the crowd around them refusing to subside, Messi and Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul were escorted out for safety reasons. The stands never got their moment. On his way out, Messi was briefly introduced to former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, who had just arrived and took a seat in a makeshift tent on the pitch.

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, who was scheduled to attend a formal ceremony along with Messi, Suarez, De Paul and Ganguly, was unable to enter the stadium. He waited outside, then left when the situation worsened. When it became clear that Messi would not return, the stadium exploded.