India to remove 70ft Messi statue over safety concerns

A 70ft statue of Lionel Messi in India is set to be taken down after it was spotted “swaying in the wind”.

The giant monument in Kolkata, West Bengal, was erected in December during Messi’s ‘GOAT’ tour of the country, GOAT meaning ‘greatest of all time’.

According to local media, engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) carried out an inspection of the statue following complaints from local residents on Monday.

Its immediate removal and relocation were ordered after the inspection found the statue’s structural integrity to be severely compromised.

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“The statue of the Argentine football legend was found [to be] unsafe,” said West Bengal state legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee.

“We have noticed that the statue is swaying in the wind.”

Mukherjee said the proximity of the statue to a busy road and a subway makes the statue’s removal “easier said than done,” but that they plan to “remove the statue at the earliest opportunity.”

Local media say the fibreglass and iron structure has been secured with heavy-duty nylon ropes, while barricades have been erected to keep people and traffic clear of the site.

Authorities are reportedly exploring alternative locations for the statue, which was assembled over the course of 27 days by a 45-strong crew.

Messi, widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest players, unveiled the statue virtually; he appeared on a video screen and pressed a button on a remote control. In December, his visit to Kolkata was overshadowed by violence during an appearance at Salt Lake Stadium.