A 70-foot statue of Lionel Messi in Kolkata, West Bengal, is set to be taken down after it was found swaying in the wind and deemed structurally unsafe.
The giant monument was erected in December during Messi’s ‘GOAT’ tour of India. Following complaints from residents, engineers from the Public Works Department inspected the statue on Monday and ordered its immediate removal.

“The statue of the Argentine football legend was found to be unsafe,” said West Bengal legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee.

“We have noticed that it is swaying in the wind.”

Authorities have secured the fibreglass and iron structure with heavy-duty ropes and erected barricades.

They plan to remove it as soon as possible, despite its location near a busy road and subway, and are looking for a new site.The statue was built over 27 days by a 45-member crew. Messi unveiled it virtually in December.