New details have emerged from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the chaotic Lionel Messi event held at Salt Lake Stadium on December 13. Satadru Dutta, the main organiser who has been detained, told investigators that the football icon was unhappy with the way the crowd behaved and left the venue earlier than planned.
As per a report of NDTV, a source in the SIT reveals, Dutta said Messi “did not like being touched on the back or being hugged” and that this concern had already been communicated by foreign security officials ahead of the event. Despite repeated public announcements asking people to maintain distance, the situation spiralled out of control.
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“Despite repeated public announcements to restrain the crowd, there was no impact. The manner in which Messi was surrounded and embraced was completely unacceptable to the World Cup-winning footballer,” Dutta told investigators.
Crowd control failure and security lapses
Visuals from the event showed West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas standing close to Messi and holding him around the waist for photographs. Biswas has since been accused of using his influence to allow relatives and acquaintances access to the footballer and has resigned as sports minister pending the investigation.
Investigators are also examining how a large number of people gained access to the ground area. Dutta claimed that only 150 ground passes were initially issued, but the number was tripled after a “very influential person” arrived at the stadium and “overpowered him".
“The arrested accused also claimed that once that particular influential person reached the stadium, all the flow-chart for the Messi programme got disturbed and he could not control it,” an official said.
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Dutta also shared financial details of Messi’s India tour. “Lionel Messi was paid Rs 89 crore for the tour, while Rs 11 crore was paid as tax to the Indian government,” he told investigators, putting the total cost at ₹100 crore. Around 30% of the amount came from sponsors and another 30% from ticket sales.
The SIT has frozen over ₹20 crore found in Dutta’s bank accounts and seized documents during raids. Authorities are verifying his claim that the money came from ticket sales and sponsorships linked to events in Kolkata and Hyderabad.
