I hope football has bright future in India: Messi after "amazing" tour
New Delhi (PTI): Lionel Messi hoped that football has a "bright future" in India and expressed gratitude for the "generous hospitality" that he got here during a whirlwind three-day tour, which had thousands of fans jostling to catch a glimpse of the Argentine genius in four different cities.
Messi, after extending his stay by a day to visit the Anant Ambani-founded Vantara wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre in Jamnagar, left for his base in Miami on Wednesday.
Taking to Instagram, the 38-year-old posted a one-minute highlights clip of the tour, featuring his interactions with Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and several young footballers.
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"What amazing visits to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. Thank you for the warm reception, generous hospitality, and all the feelings of love with which you surrounded me throughout my tour.
"I hope that football has a bright future in India," he wrote underneath the video.
His good wishes come at a time when Indian football finds itself at its lowest ebb.
The domestic season has been brought to a halt for the want of a commercial partner and the national team's fortunes have been in a free-fall following a string of poor results.
An ongoing court case over administrative issues has further deepened policy paralysis.
The superstar striker, who is among the most recognisable and adored sportspersons in the world, did not play any competitive football during the trip.
He was accompanied by Uruguay great and close friend Luis Suarez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo de Paul during the tour.
Messi made stadium appearances for ticketed events in all the four cities starting with Kolkata, where things turned ugly after politicians and officials surrounded him, denying fans, who had paid thousands for a seat, a clear view of the icon.
Agitated by this, the gathered spectators indulged in vandalism at the Salt Lake Stadium, prompting Messi to be whisked away sooner than the originally planned time.
However, his visits to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi passed off smoothly as he charmed fans by posing for pictures and showcasing some of his warm-up routines besides playing briefly with young players.
"...we carry all this love with us, and we will definitely return, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India," he said after the final leg of the tour in Delhi.
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Woman gangraped after being lured with job offer in Maharashtra's Beed; 4 booked
Beed (Maharashtra) (PTI): A woman from Baramati in Pune district has allegedly been raped by three men in Maharashtra's Beed district after being promised a job, police said.
The alleged incident took place six months ago, they said, adding that a case was registered a few days back in this connection against four persons, including a woman.
The accused woman lured the victim under the pretext of getting her a job at an arts centre at Ambajogai in Beed district.
ALSO READ: I hope football has bright future in India: Messi after "amazing" tour
However, after the victim arrived here, the woman and two other persons assaulted her and forcibly took her to a lodge in the town where three men allegedly raped her, an official from Ambajogai police station said, quoting the victim's complaint.
Attempts were also made to force her into prostitution, he said.
The victim recently managed to contact her mother, who rushed to Ambajogai, rescued her daughter and took her back to Baramati.
A case was subsequently registered at the Baramati police station and transferred to Ambajogai Rural police station on Tuesday for further investigation, the official said.
Further probe was on into the case, the police added.
