Police and safety conflict with followers after Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi left Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, India, on December 13, 2025. — Reuters
KOLKATA: Lionel Messi’s tour of India kicked off chaotically on Saturday as followers threw objects, ripped up seats and invaded the pitch at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium after the Argentine soccer nice made solely a quick look at a ticketed occasion.
Satadru Dutta, the occasion’s chief organiser, has been detained by police, stated Rajeev Kumar, director normal of West Bengal police.
Messi was scheduled for a 45-minute go to to the stadium, however his look lasted simply 20 minutes. Tickets for the occasion have been priced from round 3,500 rupees ($38.65) – greater than half of common weekly earnings in India – however one fan stated he had paid $130.
Followers within the Salt Lake stadium within the capital of the Jap state of West Bengal threw ripped-up seats and different objects onto the sector, whereas a number of folks climbed a fence across the subject and hurled objects.
“I can’t believe there was so much mismanagement,” stated Eddie Lal Hmangaihzuala, who had travelled practically 1,500 km from Mizoram over two days to attend the occasion.
“Messi left quickly, I think he felt unsafe. I hardly got a glimpse of him,” he instructed Reuters.
The organisers of the tour didn’t instantly reply to a request for a remark.
“We’ve already detained the main organiser,” Rajeev Kumar instructed reporters. “We’re taking action so that this mismanagement does not go unpunished.
“He has already pledged in writing that tickets bought for the occasion ought to be refunded,” he added.
Chief minister apologises, orders probe Â
Messi is in India as part of a tour during which he is scheduled to attend concerts, youth football clinics and a padel tournament, and to launch charitable initiatives at events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
The chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, apologised to Messi and ordered a probe into the incident.
“I’m deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed at present at Salt Lake stadium,” Banerjee, who was on her way to the event when chaos broke out, posted on X.
“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, in addition to to all sports activities lovers and his followers, for the unlucky incident,” she stated.
She stated she was constituting a committee to conduct an in depth enquiry into the incident, assign duty, and suggest measures to forestall such occurrences sooner or later.
West Bengal, Kerala and Goa states have lengthy had massive soccer followings in in any other case cricket-crazed India.
A number of incidents of fan riots have taken place at Salt Lake stadium, together with throughout a Kolkata derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in 2012 which was deserted after a brick thrown from the stands hit a participant, critically injuring him.
Argentine soccer nice Diego Maradona twice visited Kolkata, and in 2017 unveiled a statue there of himself holding the World Cup within the presence of 1000’s of followers.
Messi, who captained Argentina for the primary time in a pleasant match on the Salt Lake stadium in a 1-0 win over Venezuela in 2011, just about unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself in Kolkata earlier on Saturday.
