A massive 70-foot monument dedicated to Lionel Messi is slated for removal after reports surfaced that the structure was “swaying in the wind.”
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal, the towering tribute was installed last December during the football legend’s ‘GOAT’ tour of India.
Following concerns raised by local residents, engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) conducted a formal inspection of the monument on Monday.
The inspection concluded that the statue’s structural integrity had been severely compromised, leading to an immediate order for its removal and relocation.
“The statue of the Argentine football legend was found to be unsafe,” stated West Bengal state legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee. “We have observed that the structure is swaying in the wind.”
Mukherjee noted that while the statue’s location near a busy road and a subway makes the dismantling process complex, officials intend to “remove the statue at the earliest opportunity.”
Reports indicate that the fiberglass and iron structure has been stabilized with heavy-duty nylon ropes, and barricades have been installed to ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists.
Authorities are currently searching for a safer site to house the monument, which originally took a 45-person crew 27 days to assemble.
The statue was virtually unveiled in December by Messi himself via a video link, though his scheduled appearance at Salt Lake Stadium was unfortunately marred by civil unrest.
