A giant statue of football superstar Lionel Messi erected in India to mark his visit last year is “swaying in the wind” and will be removed, a lawmaker said on Wednesday.
Workers have scrambled up the 21-meter golden-colored statue in Kolkata, throwing ropes around its shoulders to secure it.
The sculpture showing the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami star raising the World Cup trophy was unveiled during Messi’s so-called GOAT Tour of India in December.
But West Bengal state legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee said it was no longer safe. “The statue is swaying in the wind,” he added.
Workers used ropes to attempt to secure the statue, which looms over a busy road.
Mukherjee said it was not clear when it would be brought down. He did not say whether the statue would be re-erected at another site.
India - a nation of 1.4 billion - is a cricket powerhouse, but struggles on the football pitch and is 142nd on the Fifa rankings. Football, however, is the country's second favorite sport, according to research by data company Nielsen released on Wednesday.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
