Lionel Messi in India Day 1 highlights: Organiser Satadru Dutta detained over mismanagement after Kolkata stadium chaos

"A large crowd had gathered there to see him. It would not have been easy for the Police to control them. But Mamata Banerjee's Govt in West Bengal should have instructed the Police that when such a celebrity visits, a huge crowd gathers. But chaos ensued there as proper arrangements were not made. This should not have happened..."Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said, according to ANI.

Messi will reach Mumbai on Sunday for his third leg of the GOAT Tour 2025. He will end his India tour on Monday in New Delhi where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While speaking to ANI, D Sridhar Babu said, "It's fortunate for us, especially for our state of Telangana and the beautiful city of Hyderabad, to have a player like Messi come here and play in a friendly match...We are all very enthusiastic...Here, the police and administration have taken all the due precautionary measures."

Argentina football icon Lionel Messi's graffiti was unveiled on a building ahead of the legend's visit to Mumbai as a part of his 'GOAT India Tour' 2025, according to ANI. After the visits to Kolkata and Hyderabad, he is set to come to Mumbai on Sunday. Delhi will be the last stop of Messi's tour on Monday.

Former Indian footballer and Captain Bhaichung Bhutia said, " I think it's very unfortunate. I think the organisers did their best, but sometimes it gets out of control, especially VIP culture - it becomes very difficult even to the organisers to stop a lot of VIPs who are not supposed to be there as well, I think they entered and crowded. The genuine fans did not really get to see Messi. So, I think that was where the fans were very upset.

He added, "Hopefully, I think these kinds of mistakes don't happen...I heard 80,000 people came in to see Messi. Knowing that Messi is worshipped in Kolkata and in India, when they get disappointed paying such a high-price and coming from such faraway places, I think it's very disappointing. I think the Govt has taken some steps and action...

He suggested that in future this has to be well-organised and unwanted VIPs surrounding should be avoided.

West Bengal LoP and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday wrote to State's Governor CV Ananda Bose urging him to direct the formation of a “truly independent enquiry committee, headed by a sitting Judge of the Calcutta High Court, assisted by persons of unimpeachable integrity who have no institutional, administrative, or political affiliation with the State Government”, according to ANI.

His letter added, "Only such an enquiry can restore faith in governance, reaffirm the supremacy of the Constitution, and assure the people of West Bengal that power, however entrenched, remains answerable to law." This is not a partisan grievance. It is a constitutional moment. The issue transcends football, politics, and personalities. It concerns the right of citizens to be treated with dignity, the obligation of the State to act as trustee of public interest, and the duty of constitutional authorities to intervene when the executive becomes a law unto itself. History will judge not merely the perpetrators of this indignity, but also the silence that followed or the courage that intervened..."

As per PTI, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh stated, "What happened today in connection with Messi is very unfortunate. It was a private organiser’s show; the state government was not the organiser. Whatever requisitions were made by the private organiser, the state government responded to them... Messi was completely cordoned off, and fans could not even see him, which led to disappointment among fans.”

“The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is deeply concerned by the events that transpired at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, where thousands of fans gathered to witness world football stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Rodrigo de Paul. This was a private event organised by a PR agency. The AIFF was not involved in the organisation, planning, or execution of this event in any capacity,” AIFF said, as per ANI.

It added, "Furthermore, the details of the event were neither communicated to the AIFF, nor was any clearance sought from the Federation. We urge all attendees to extend their full cooperation with the relevant authorities and to maintain order. The safety and security of all individuals involved must remain the paramount priority."

Ticket prices for the event reportedly ranged between ₹4,500 and ₹10,000, with many spectators arriving early in the morning.

West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar clarified that organiser will refund ticket prices to disappointed fans who came for Lionel Messi event in Kolkata, a report by PTI noted.

West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose slammed organisers for 'commercialization of Messi's visit' in Kolkata. He said they ignored the sentiments of the fans. “They only focused on money-making... The fan mentality should be understood properly... They came with great expectations to see their hero... The concerned authorities did not take care of these instances, which is where the failure lies... The organizers are all those associated with the event…” ANI quoted Bose as saying.

“Normalcy has been restored. The investigation is underway, an FIR has been registered, and the chief organiser has been arrested,” Jawed Shamim (ADG, Law & Order) said, as per PTI.

“Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi. Why did they call us then? ... We have got a ticket for 12,000 rupees ($130), but we were not even able to see his face,” a fan told ANI.

Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said that main organiser of Lionel Messi event in Kolkata has been detained over mismanagement after chaos at Salt Lake stadium, reported PTI.

Both ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition BJP hit out at the organisers of an event of Lionel Messi in Salt Lake stadium on Saturday, which ended in ruckus as spectators went on a vandalisation spree for not having a clear view of the football icon, PTI reported.

"Why should no action be taken against the organisers for this mess? Why was there no proper planning? Why did chaos break out? It forced Messi to leave the stadium and the chief minister of West Bengal could not attend and accord him a warm welcome on behalf of the people of the state," the TMC state general secretary said.

BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya claimed that "some fraudsters, in their greed to mint money, created this situation".

CM Mamata Banerjee on Sunday formed high-level committee to investigate the incident after the chaos unfolded at Salt Lake stadium, according to PTI.

BJP West Bengal mocks mismanagement, “A World Cup winning football star has come to the city of football, and there is complete mismanagement. Is this a conspiracy to destroy every aspect of Bengali identity? Including our love for football?”

CM Mamata Banerjee is going to form an enquiry committee to look into the mismanagement. around the Messi appearance at the Kolkata stadium. Meanwhile, fans have vandalised the stadium. Many of them demand a refund as they could not see Messi properly.

Police have asked the media to move out of the stadium, claiming that the situation is under control at the moment.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to social media to express herself on the chaos.

‘I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi,’ she wrote.

‘I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,’ she added.

‘I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members. The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers,’ she wrote.

Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, ‘Everyone came to watch their dream hero. They should have been allowed to see Messi with all their happiness. Why couldn’t that be done? Why did Messi have to leave before CM Mamata Banerjee's arrival?'

Aneesh Sarkar, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for the Bidhannagar division, told the media, ‘The situation is under control.’

"The minimum price of the ticket was ₹5,000, and why were the VVIPs around Messi? We couldn't even see him... Was this scripted? I don't know. Why weren't the police taking action? I don't know anything. Everyone was furious. I want Satadru to give the answers. We want the refund," another fan said.

“... Seeing the utter chaos, the management, the authorities, it was absolutely rubbish. All the people you see here love football. We all wanted to see Messi, but it was a total scam. We want our money back…” a fan told ANI.

"The management was so bad. It is a black day for Kolkata. Kolkata is known for football, and we love football, we love Argentina, but this experience is absolutely a scam. The ministers were there with their children, and the other people could not see anything.. We are very hurt," the fan added.

Angry fans clash with the police

“We are very disappointed. It's a weekend. My child was very excited to see Messi. I think it's a scam for the people. When Messi arrived, everyone surrounded him, so there was no way to see Messi for us,” one fan told ANI.

The vandalism caused by angry Messi fans were caught on camera.

Fans are accusing West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas of taking advantage of his position to click photos with Messi while ignoring thousands of fans. Some demand an arrest for Satadru Dutta over the alleged mismanagement. Dutta is the chief organiser of Messi's India visit

Police personnel were attacked by some violent fans as they tried to take control of the situation. Meanwhile, some fans allege that they were assaulted by the policemen.

Questions are being raised about how the fans were allowed to carry water bottles into the stadium. Later, those bottles were thrown to the ground as Team Messi left early out of panic. The management is being accused of mishandling the entire concert.

"Absolutely terrible event. He came for just 10 minutes. All the leaders and ministers surrounded him. We couldn't see anything. He didn't take a single kick or a single penalty. They said they would bring Shah Rukh Khan too. They didn't bring anyone. He came for 10 minutes and left. So much money, emotions, and time wasted. We couldn't see anything..." a Messi fan told ANI.

Rapid Action Force (RAF) enters the stadium to take control as rogue fans continue to express their rage.

Police enter the stadium to take control as hundreds of Messi fans continue to express their agitation in the stadium. While Messi was taking a lap around the stadium, the fans could not see him clearly as many were surrounding him, taking selfies.

As angry fans started throwing water bottles, Team Messi panicked. Soon after meeting Sourav Ganguly, Messi left the stadium early.

Hundreds of fans have gone rogue as they claim the ground after Lionel Messi left after his 22-minute stay at the stadium. Fans were seen breaking event structures. Some of them were heard saying, ‘Kolkata is left humiliated with the Messi mess.’

Other agitated fans say that the management was a ‘complete failure’. Fans were seen throwing water bottles as they felt ‘cheated’ after buying expensive tickets.

Fans are disappointed as, despite buying expensive tickets, they could not ‘see’ Messi. They call it an ‘unorganised’ event.

“Politicians are taking selfies with Messi. Those who do not know anything about football are around him. What's the point? If we have to see him on the giant screen, what's the point of buying a ₹10,000 ticket? Messi was surrounded by 100 people,” said one of the fans.

Fans from Bengaluru and Kerala are also among the dissatisfied ones.

Messi fans cheered for their hero during his brief stay at the Kolkata stadium.

Sourav Ganguly says it would have been great if Messi stayed in the stadium for a longer time. Shah Rukh Khan, who was also present at the stadium, did not even got out of his car. It is not immediately clear what exactly went wrong.

There is chaos in the stadium as fans can be heard booing. Team Messi seemed annoyed about something before leaving the stadium. There seems to be some disagreement with the security management. Apparently, the event did not go as planned and was cut short for some reason.