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Giant Messi statue to be removed over safety concerns
Authorities plan to remove the 21-meter statue after engineers found it structurally unsafe and workers tried to secure it with ropes.
- Authorities in Kolkata are removing a 70-foot statue of Lionel Messi after engineers from the Public Works Department declared the structure unsafe following reports that it swayed in the wind on Monday.
- Unveiled in December last year during the player's "GOAT Tour," the golden-colored sculpture depicts the 38-year-old Inter Miami star raising the FIFA World Cup trophy he won in 2022.
- West Bengal Legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee confirmed the removal plans; the statue was commissioned by a local football club whose president, Sujit Bose, was later taken into custody over corruption allegations.
- The statue's instability brings back memories of chaotic scenes at Salt Lake Stadium during Messi's visit last year, when fans questioned the installation's safety and procedural requirements.
- While India remains a cricket powerhouse, the nation of 1.4 billion people has struggled on the soccer pitch; research shows soccer is the country's second-favorite sport despite hosting challenges.
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The structure dedicated to the captain of Argentina began to stagger by the wind and authorities are already preparing his retreat in Calcutta, India
As Kolkata gears up to pull down Messi statue, how the GOAT fiasco swayed Bengal polls
Bengal News: The 70-foot Messi statue in Kolkata is set to be removed over "structural flaws". The statute was unveiled by Lionel Messi during his GOAT Tour in Kolkata. It was the same Messi event that triggered allegations of mismanagement and VIP culture against the TMC. Here is how the GOAT Tour fiasco became a political talking point in the Bengal polls won by the BJP.
·India
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources20
Leaning Left4Leaning Right3Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Left
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left
L 57%
R 43%
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