Lionel Messi’s much-hyped visit to Kolkata on the first day of his four-day India tour has gone down as one of the most chaotic sporting events the city has witnessed in recent years. What went wrong? What not, raging fans vandalize the Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, broken chairs and flying bottles.
Messi was scheduled to arrive at the Salt Lake Stadium around 12 pm for a felicitation ceremony followed by a friendly match. Instead, he reached the venue at around 11:15 am, caught completely off-guard fans and organisers alike, and left the stadium in less than five minutes. Many in the stands barely realised he had arrived before he was gone.
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What angered fans the most was not just the brevity of the appearance, but LM10 did not even complete a full lap of the stadium, and a large section of ticket-paying spectators could not even catch a proper glimpse of the Argentine legend. For an sport promotional event marketed aggressively and priced steeply, the disappointment was instant and explosive.
Messi reportedly remained stuck for 5–10 minutes amid a swarm of politicians, cameramen and influential figures, completely cutting him off from the crowd. Poor crowd control meant his walkaround was abruptly curtailed, and he was escorted out within minutes.
Messi had left, tempers boiled over
Fans vandalised the stadium, throwing bottles and belts, breaking chairs, invading the pitch and tearing down banners. Many shouted that paying thousands of rupees for a ticket only to witness a five-minute appearance was nothing short of humiliation. Some called the entire episode an “absolute disgrace”.
The event, promoted as a 'Satadru Dutta initiative', is now under intense scrutiny.It has sparked questions about mismanagement, lack of coordination, and glaring security lapses. How could one of the world’s biggest sporting icons be allowed onto a ground without a clear, fan-facing protocol? Why were VIPs prioritised over crowd safety and visibility?
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What the eyewitnesses expressed
"It was a Horrendous experience, firstly Messi was hardly present for 10 mins, we struggled to get a glance as others surrounded him. As soon as Messi left, people started vandalising in rage, and 1000s of people approached the field and started vandalising more. It was total chaos! We want a refund," Sankha Subhra Das, one visitor, told News Ei Samay.
"We didn't even have a glance at Messi. Several politicians and their families surrounded him the whole time. Even the RAF wasn't able to control the crowd. A complete failure," Souvik Roy, another visitor, said.
Following this, West Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee, issued a statement apologising and promising that an "enquiry committee" would be formed to investigate the incident. "I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium," she said.
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"I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident."
"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," she added.
