Messi’s India tour faces chaos: fans riot in Kolkata, but one fan gets chance of a lifetime

KOLKATA: Lionel Messi’s highly anticipated visit to India took a chaotic turn on Saturday, as frustrated fans stormed the field and threw objects after the soccer icon made only a short, 20-minute appearance at a ticketed event in Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.

Messi, who was originally scheduled to stay for 45 minutes, left the venue earlier than planned, sparking an outburst of anger among the crowd. Tickets for the event, which were priced around $38, had been sold to thousands of fans, some of whom paid much higher amounts, up to $130, to see the global football star.

In response to the chaos, the police detained Satadru Dutta, the chief organizer of the event. Rajeev Kumar, the director general of West Bengal police, confirmed that the organizer had been taken into custody for questioning. He added that Dutta had promised in writing that the event’s tickets would be refunded to disappointed fans.

Angry crowds at the stadium threw ripped-up seats and other debris onto the field, while several individuals climbed the fencing around the pitch. Some even rushed onto the field itself. “I can’t believe there was so much mismanagement,” said Eddie Lal Hmangaihzuala, a fan who had traveled over 1,500 km from Mizoram to attend the event. “Messi left quickly, and I hardly got a glimpse of him. I think he felt unsafe.”

Messi is currently in India as part of a promotional tour that includes youth football clinics, concerts, a padel tournament, and charitable events in cities such as Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. However, the disorganization surrounding his Kolkata appearance has overshadowed his visit.

West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was en route to the event when the chaos erupted, issued a public apology for the incident. “I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement at Salt Lake Stadium today,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I sincerely apologize to Lionel Messi, all sports lovers, and his fans for this unfortunate incident.”

Banerjee also announced that an inquiry would be conducted to determine what went wrong and to ensure accountability for the events that unfolded. A committee would be formed to investigate the incident and recommend measures to prevent similar situations in the future.

However, despite all this commotion, one fan got to play football with the legend himself, and it turned out to be more spectacular than anyone could have imagined. While the football enthusiasts are dubbing it a failure on the fan’s part to make a direct pass to Messi, the spectators are calling it a rare moment when Messi was made to run after a ball.

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Despite the chaos, Messi had earlier unveiled a virtual 70-foot statue of himself in Kolkata, continuing his engagement with the city where he played a friendly match in 2011. The Argentine star, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, has become an icon in India, where football continues to grow in popularity, especially in regions like West Bengal.

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