70ft Lionel Messi statue in India taken down for safety reasons after swaying in the wind

FootballSports
28 May 2026 • 9:29 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

70ft Lionel Messi statue in India taken down for safety reasons after swaying in the wind

  • A 70ft statue of Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi in Kolkata, India, is being removed less than six months after its unveiling.
  • Engineers from the West Bengal government deemed the golden-coloured statue unsafe after it was observed swaying in the wind.
  • Ropes were reportedly used to secure the structure after complaints about its instability.
  • The statue, which only vaguely resembled Messi, had previously drawn criticism for its appearance when erected last December.
  • It was commissioned by a local football club whose president, Sujit Bose, was later arrested on corruption allegations.

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