West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari brought attention to the Lionel Messi fiasco by promising to reimburse the 33,000 fans who purchased tickets
for the tumultuous Messi event at Yuva Bharati Stadium from the state's sports budget on National Sports Day. On December 13, 2025, Lionel Messi paid a visit to the Yuva Bharati Stadium, but the occasion was chaotic. The disruption was attributed to Aroop Biswas, the Sports Minister of the Trinamool Congress government, engaging in excessive hobnobbing. Even though there were fans at the stadium that day who wanted their Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000 tickets refunded, their request has not yet been fulfilled. "Messi has a huge fan base. They had purchased tickets costing Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000. It is my wish to ensure that the money paid by these 33,000 sports enthusiasts is refunded. I have already initiated the process internally. I hope to be able to accomplish this," Suvendu observed in reference to the incident during a special National Sports Day event organised at Nabanna to commemorate the birth anniversary of 'Wizard of Hockey' Major Dhyan Chand. Former hockey player Gurbux Singh, Sports Minister Indranil Khan, President of the All India Football Federation Kalyan Chaubey, and others attended the Saturday ceremony. At the event, accomplished athletes received letters of appointment and were congratulated.
Adhikari Slams Government Negligence
"You would be surprised to know that the paperwork for many of the athletes who received appointment letters today had been gathering dust in the Chief Minister's office for 11 years," the Chief Minister stated, criticising the previous administration for ignoring the sports sector.
"In recent years, West Bengal's representation in the Olympics, the Asian Games, or national teams has been virtually non-existent, whereas states like Odisha and Jharkhand send representatives. Bengal possesses talent, intellect, dedication, and focus, but lacks the necessary systems, initiatives, and political will. Why must every sports sector or organisation be controlled by politics? The change this time will be a transformation of that very system. We will ensure that happens."
"We have allocated a budget of four hundred crore rupees for the sports sector; although, this is not a full-year budget but one covering eight months. We will build mini indoor stadiums in all 294 assembly constituencies, featuring tennis courts, badminton courts, and gymnasiums. It is not possible to build 294 stadiums in a single year, so we will construct 100 stadiums this year. The existing stadiums are in a dilapidated state; the previous government neglected the sports sector," he said, outlining his government's plan.
