Argentina's star footballer Lionel Messi will be in New Delhi on December 15 for the fourth and final leg of his GOAT tour. His schedule is quite packed. He will take part in an exhibition match at Arun Jaitley International Stadium, with star cricketer Virat Kohli possibly joining as well. Following this, Messi will attend a welcome event and he plans to meet with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After the chaos at his Kolkata event, Delhi Police is more alert to ensure that similar situations do not arise in New Delhi and that the event is a success. Thousands of football fans are expected to flock to Arun Jaitley Stadium to catch a glimpse of Messi. Thus, Delhi Police is fully alert regarding security. The police have experience in crowd management during IPL and T20 International matches at Arun Jaitley Stadium, so the possibility of any issues during Messi's event is minimal.
Schedule for Lionel Messi's Delhi Event
GOAT Cup Exhibition Match
Location: Arun Jaitley Stadium Time: Around 1:30 PM Gates open at 11:30 AM Guest: Virat Kohli Players: Minerva Academy's Under 14/15 teams, 9 vs. 9 match
Private Meet and Greet (Tentative)
Time: Around 4:30 PM First meeting guests: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah Second meeting guests: India's CDS and CJI
Delhi Police Ramps Up Security
Senior officials of Delhi Police are consistently holding meetings to ensure foolproof security arrangements. Due to Lionel Messi's event, traffic in the national capital will be diverted on Monday, which might lead to heavy jams around ITO, Delhi Gate, and Rajghat Crossing during the day. This might also affect Vikas Marg, Ring Road, Indraprastha Marg, DDU Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. For traffic management, police personnel will be deployed around Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Additionally, emphasis will be on preventing illegal parking to avoid further traffic disturbances. Considering Messi's Delhi tour, a three-layered security arrangement has been made. More than 3,000 personnel from Delhi Police will be deployed, along with personnel from paramilitary forces. CCTV and drones will continuously monitor inside and outside Arun Jaitley Stadium during the event.
