KOLKATA: Frenzy at dawn. Fury by noon. Chaos by afternoon. Lionel Messi's much-hyped Kolkata appearance collapsed into bedlam at Salt Lake stadium Saturday after tens of thousands of fans who paid steep prices for a glimpse of the football icon saw him for barely minutes - if at all - before he was whisked away, triggering vandalism, pitch invasion and mass outrage. Around 60,000 fans, many in Argentina's blue-and-white stripes with "Messi" emblazoned on their backs, packed the stands from early morning. Tickets cost between Rs 5,000 and Rs 16,000. Expectations soared. Tempers snapped. Argentina's World Cup-winning captain stepped onto the pitch at 11.30am to a deafening roar. Within moments, he was engulfed by a crush of VIPs, officials and selfie-seekers. Fifteen minutes later, with

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