Authorities in Kolkata have reinforced a 70-foot statue of footballer Lionel Messi with ropes after residents reported the structure was swaying [1].
The incident raises critical questions about the structural integrity of large-scale public monuments installed in high-traffic urban areas. If the statue is deemed unstable, its removal could signal a failure in the initial engineering and safety audits of the project.
The monument, which stands 70 feet tall [1], is installed atop an underground pedestrian crossing in Kolkata, West Bengal [2]. It was unveiled in December 2025 [3]. Local residents flagged safety concerns when strong winds caused the statue to sway, prompting officials to take preventive action to secure the figure [4].
Reports on the final status of the monument vary. Some sources said that cranes have been deployed and work to remove the statue has already begun [2]. Other reports said the statue has been secured with ropes while authorities continue to assess its stability to decide if it should be kept, relocated, or dismantled [4].
Because the statue is positioned above a pedestrian crossing, any structural failure would pose a direct risk to the thousands of people using the walkway daily. The use of temporary ropes serves as a stopgap measure while engineers determine if the foundation can support the height of the monument during extreme weather conditions [4].
Officials have not yet confirmed a final decision on the permanent placement of the statue. The process of removal, if finalized, will require heavy machinery to dismantle the 70-foot structure without damaging the underlying pedestrian infrastructure [2].
“The statue has been secured with ropes while authorities assess its stability.”
The instability of the Messi statue highlights the tension between ambitious urban beautification projects and rigorous safety engineering. When monuments of this scale are placed above critical infrastructure like pedestrian crossings, the margin for error is slim. The decision to either relocate or remove the statue will likely depend on whether the swaying was caused by a fundamental design flaw or manageable environmental factors.
