Lionel Messi's highly anticipated G.O.A.T. India Tour kicked off in Kolkata on December 13, 2025, but quickly unravelled into a chaotic disaster amid overwhelming
fan frenzy and organizational lapses.
What began as a thrilling moment for fans turned into mayhem due to poor organization at Salt Lake Stadium. Supporters who endured long waits and shelled out thousands of rupees to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi were left frustrated when politicians, club officials, and others swarmed the football legend, blocking all views from the stands.
Lionel Messi's Kolkata Tour ends in Disaster
Messi stayed only about 20 minutes before abruptly leaving, forcing organizers to comply. As he headed for the exit, stunned fans erupted in protest, hurling water bottles onto the field. The unrest quickly intensified-supporters ripped out bucket seats and tossed them around, then breached the fencing to storm the pitch.
Thousands invaded the Yuba Bharati field, vandalizing everything in sight: they tore down temporary seating canopies, dismantled the stage, and even set fire to a sofa in the seating area. Police initially stood by but eventually resorted to lathi charges to regain control and scatter the crowd.
Kolkata showed enough patience since late Friday night. Thousands swarmed across the streets and around airport, hotel to get a glimpse of Messi. Despite the dipping temperature, fans flocked in numbers inside the stadium. People came in from places such as Meghalaya, Mumbai, even Nepal - to witness Messi in front of their eyes, but alas! It all ended in a disaster.
🚨Exclusive: Lionel Messi leaves the Salt Lake Stadium amid chants of Messi, Messi from the Fans.. The Argentine superstar was at the stadium for around 20 minutes, and after his departure, chaos erupted inside the stadium.#LionelMessi #Kolkata #LionelMessiinindia pic.twitter.com/n5KtEXppdS
— myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) December 13, 2025
What was supposed to be a memorable afternoon turned into an ugly cacophony. Police could be seen lathi-charging fans, angry fans tried to ignite fire, vandalized the stadium, tore up banners, demanded jail for the organizer Satadru Dutta and blamed the ministers.
Who are at Fault for this Chaos in Kolkata?
But who are at fault for this management? Can it be only a singular entity? Is it just Satadru Dutta who deserves to labelled as the culpable party? We have tried to find the answers.
The Organizer
The organiser is definitely a fault for the majority of these chaotic situations. As they charged a massive amount of money from the fans and had all the flagship partners as sponsors, the system and the management had to be better. The stadium conditions, the security, things that were being sold inside the ground had to be checked properly. And the organisers should have taken a lot more care in this. The onus was on Satadru Dutta, the self-proclaimed entrepreneur, to measure the factors properly before taking such a big leap.
The Administration and Police
The administration can't deny their role in this mishap. The bottles, which were being sold at a high price inside the stadium, had to be chalked out. The football matches only allow water pouches, hence the question of how bottles could be sold remains a valid one. Similarly, the police was in a frenzy as well. Multiple visuals showed policemen not acting promptly and even a visual shows a policeman being rebuffed by security while trying to get in close proximity to Messi. In the end, the law and order was not maintained because they failed blatantly.
The Officials
And last but probably not least, the officials, from clubs to political parties. There were multiple occasions where Mohun Bagan duo Srinjoy Bose and Debasish Dutta were seen trying to pose for photo, ask for autograph - much to the disgust of Satadru Dutta. A visual also showed the organiser pushing away Srinjoy, who was repeatedly trying to get near Messi for a pose with Mohun Bagan shirt.
There were at least 80-100 people surrounding Messi the entire time, who didn't evacuate despite the repeated pleading from the organizer. Police also remained in sleep mode at that time, and the chaos continued on the pitch while the unrest grew in the stands. And as Messi had enough and signalled to bid adieu, the volcano of discontent erupted.
Fans are demanding full refunds, with many clamoring to see the organizer thrown behind bars. Yet this catastrophe stems from collective chaos, unmasking the ultimate culprit of the afternoon.
The Fans
Yes! The fans have to share their blame. Even acknowledging their disappointment and anger, the act they showed on the pitch can not be entertained. Dismantling the ground, uprooting seats and vandalizing stands, fighting with Police and trying to ignite fire - that is utter disgrace and has further tainted Kolkata in front of the world. As the entire world sees these harrowing visuals, it is Kolkata and India whose legacy and reputation suffer the most. And although one can sympathise with the fans, the blame has to be taken.
As twilight descends upon the scarred Yuba Bharati pitch, a stark verdict crystallizes - Lionel Messi arrives amid fervent anticipation and departs in abrupt disillusionment, Kolkata exposes its grotesque underbelly of mismanagement and mob fury, and Indian football reels from the ignominy, its fragile aspirations once again trampled underfoot by organizational ineptitude and political opportunism.
