What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium as thousands of fans gathered to see Argentine football legend Lionel Messi
during his GOAT India tour
Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance left large sections of the crowd frustrated as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having paid hefty sums for tickets. The chaos forced security to rush Messi off the pitch early, cutting short his lap of honour and leaving the 80,000-strong crowd feeling cheated on what was billed as a historic return 14 years in the making.
Put off by poor event management, some fans reportedly threw bottles and chairs from the stands in frustration. The crowd had high expectations, but many were left disappointed.
Among them was a fan who made an extraordinary personal sacrifice, skipping his own wedding, to catch a glimpse of the Argentine legend.
“Today is the 13th, and everyone knows that Messi was supposed to come to Kolkata. It’s my wedding today. Mera shaadi chhod ke aaya (I left my wedding and came here); but even then, our expectations were not fulfilled. His presence did feel good, I liked it; just his presence means a lot to me. But seeing him only from such a distance was not what we had expected,” a fan said as quoted by news agency PTI.
A fan from Kolkata said, “It’s my wedding day, but I left all the ceremonies to be here just for Messi. Still, the management was so pathetic that I couldn’t even see him”. (PTI). pic.twitter.com/Z35ZvargOb
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 13, 2025
Another distressed fan told news agency ANI that he recently got married but cancelled the honeymoon plan because he first wanted to see Messi.
“… We recently got married, but on Messi’s visit, we cancelled our honeymoon plan because first we wanted to see Messi… We are very excited to see him, and we have been following him for 10-12 years…” he had said ahead of Messi’s arrival.
#WATCH | West Bengal | On the visit of star footballer Lionel Messi, a fan says, “… We recently got married, but on Messi’s visit, we cancelled our honeymoon plan because first we wanted to see Messi… We are very excited to see him, and we have been following him for 10-12… pic.twitter.com/QIqLTbYOvh
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2025
What Led To Chaos?
The chaos began when football star Lionel Messi, who was part of the inaugural leg of the “GOAT India Tour 2025” along with teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, made a very brief appearance at the event. Fans, many of whom had paid high ticket prices ranging from Rs 4,000 to over Rs 12,000, with some VVIP passes costing even more, were expecting a longer interaction, a showcase or at least a celebratory lap. Instead, Messi stayed for only about 20 minutes.
During this short visit, Messi was surrounded by officials, local politicians and heavy security, leaving thousands of spectators in the stands unable to get a clear view of the football icon. The limited access and lack of engagement left fans deeply disappointed.
The disappointment soon turned into anger, with some fans throwing bottles and plastic chairs onto the field, damaging stadium property and attempting to breach security barriers. The unrest forced Messi to leave the venue immediately, while angry spectators booed officials and raised slogans.
Following the incident, the West Bengal Police detained the main organiser, Satadru Dutta, and announced that efforts would be made to refund tickets to fans who had been left disappointed by the event.
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