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A 70ft statue of Lionel Messi in India has been taken down
A 70ft statue of Lionel Messi in India has been taken down after it was spotted "swaying in the wind" in May.
The giant monument in Kolkata, West Bengal, was erected in December during Messi's 'GOAT' tour of the country – GOAT meaning 'greatest of all time'.
According to local media, engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) carried out an inspection of the statue following complaints from local residents on Monday, 25 May.
Its immediate removal and relocation were ordered after the inspection found the statue's structural integrity to be severely compromised.
"The statue of the Argentine football legend was found [to be] unsafe," said West Bengal state legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee.
"We have noticed that the statue is swaying in the wind."
Mukherjee said the proximity of the statue to a busy road and a subway make the statue's removal "easier said than done," but that they plan to "remove the statue at the earliest opportunity."
The fibreglass and iron structure was secured with heavy-duty nylon ropes, while barricades were erected to keep people and traffic clear of the site last week.
But today it has been taken down and is on the move.
The Press Trust of India news agency report that the statue will be in the custody of the public work's department with no official announcement with regard to where it will be re-erected.
The statue was originally assembled over the course of 27 days by a 45-strong crew
Lionel Messi unveiled the statue virtually in December
He appeared on a video screen and pressed a button on a remote control, though his visit to Kolkata was overshadowed by violence during an appearance at Salt Lake Stadium
Lionel Messi helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022
The 2026 World Cup will be the sixth that the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has featured in
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