NEW DELHI: Kolkata has a tradition of celebrating football icons. On Saturday afternoon, that expectation turned into anger as Lionel Messi’s scheduled appearance ended amid disorder at the Salt Lake Stadium.The city’s long wait to see the Argentine star did not last long. Messi, who is in India as part of his GOAT Tour, was forced to end his lap of honour at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan after the crowd surged towards the field. Bottles were thrown from the stands, and security staff escorted him off the ground within minutes.
Crowd surge derails programme
What was meant to be a memorable day for football fans in the City of Joy turned into confusion, with “less of Messi” and more of what several spectators described as a “royal mess”, as order inside the stadium broke down.Many fans, including those who bought high-priced tickets, said they did not get to see Messi at all, either in person or on the giant screens, even after waiting for hours. A tight security setup and the presence of politicians and other dignitaries in key seating areas further limited visibility, adding to the anger among spectators. The World Cup-winning captain reached the stadium around 11.30 am along with long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul. His vehicle was parked close to the touchline. When he stepped onto the ground, he was surrounded by VIPs, organisers, celebrities and security staff, leaving fans in the stands struggling to see him. Messi walked only a short distance on the field and waved briefly at the crowd as chants of “Messi, Messi” rang out across the stadium. Soon, spectators realised that the footballer remained enclosed by security and invited guests, making him difficult to see from many parts of the galleries. Several fans said even the giant screens did not show him clearly. Anger grew as it became clear that the Argentine star would not complete the planned lap of the stadium. Chants of “We want Messi” became louder. Messi then turned back midway and was taken off the field well before the scheduled end of his appearance. Once news spread that he had left early, tempers flared. Bottles were thrown from the stands onto the field, followed by plastic chairs. Sponsor banners and hoardings were pulled down, fibreglass seats were broken, and some spectators tried to tear down barricades to enter the ground. Repeated announcements over the public address system asking unauthorised people to leave the ground were largely ignored, as fans continued shouting slogans against the organisers and the state sports department. Within minutes, hundreds of spectators spilled onto the pitch, pulling down temporary tents and damaging equipment placed near the boundary. Police struggled to control the crowd, leading to the deployment of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) inside the stadium. Ticket prices ranged from Rs 4,500 to Rs 10,000, with many fans arriving early in the morning hoping to see the footballer closely. The disorder also led to the early end of the programme, leaving several invited guests, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, unable to take part as planned.“Here, a glass of cold drink costs Rs 150–200, yet we couldn’t even catch a glimpse of Messi. People have spent a month’s salary to see him. I paid Rs 5,000 for the ticket and came with my son to watch Messi not politicians. The police and military personnel were taking selfies, and the management is to blame. There wasn’t even drinking water available,” an angry fan, Ajay Shah, told news agency PTI.
Prime organiser detained
Police on Saturday detained Satadru Datta, the main organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at the Salt Lake Stadium, after the chaos forced the World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.Datta was detained over alleged mismanagement of the event from Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage as they departed for Hyderabad.“We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser’s side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control,” West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said.Kumar added that the organiser had given a written assurance that ticket money would be refunded to spectators who were disappointed.Earlier in the day, actor Shah Rukh Khan met Lionel Messi in Kolkata during the GOAT India Tour 2025. Messi arrived in India with long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul.Messi had earlier visited India in 2011, when he led the Argentina national team in a match against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
