Violence in Kolkata Stadium after Lionel Messi’s Brief Appearance Disappointed Crowd

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Dec 13: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has issued a public apology to Lionel Messi and his fans in Kolkata over the chaos that unfolded at his event at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday morning after thousands of football fans who had gathered at the stadium for a glimpse of the greatest footballer of their time returned disappointed and turned violent.

Banerjee said she was shocked by the “mismanagement” and ordered an inquiry committee to probe what led to the nightmarish turn of events. “I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” said Banerjee, who was on her way to the stadium to attend the event.

Thousands of football fans gathered in Kolkata since early hours to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi, but the opportunity of the life-time for them turned out to be a nightmarish experience. Messi’s brief appearance at the stadium left many fans upset. Surrounded by dignitaries and politicians, his presence did not allow even one glimpse to his fans who had paid up to Rs 14,000 per ticket.

Their anger turned to chaos as vandalism followed, leaving the organisers and security teams at a loss over how to bring the situation under control. Angry fans broke security protocols and vandalized the stadium unable to catch a glimpse of the Argentine star during his nearly half-hour appearance, causing massive embarrassment for the ruling Trinamool Congress just months before elections.

A committee led by a former judge and comprising top bureaucrats would now conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident, the chief minister said.

“I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members. The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future,” read her apology post. Her party blamed the incident on a “crowd of hooligans” that it said has left Kolkata “ashamed.”

Messi, an icon for millions of football fans across the world, had arrived in football-crazy Kolkata early this morning in the first leg of his three-day India tour. After unveiling a statue of himself in the city, he had reached Salt Lake Stadium, where his fans had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer.

Thousands of spectators, not only from Kolkata but from different parts of the country, had arrived at the stadium to catch a glimpse of their favourite football star. The convoy of Lionel Messi’s entered the stadium at exactly 11.30 a.m. He was accompanied by footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. The footballers looked happy to witness the frenzy of football fans gathered at the stadium.

But as soon as Lionel Messi entered the stadium, a crowd of about 70 to 80 people which included the organisers, State’s Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and representatives of football clubs surrounded him. The crowd was trying to take selfies and autographs from the football star, as a result, the spectators were unable to see Messi and other two footballers from the galleries. At one point, the angry football fans started chanting ‘We want Messi’. Lionel Messi was taken out of the stadium about 11.52 a.m. even before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan arrived at the stadium.

Many couldn’t, despite paying between Rs 3,500 and Rs 14,000 for a ticket, as the BJP accused “inept Trinamool leaders” of surrounding the player. The frustration exploded into a violent outburst as hundreds of fans stormed the ground. Some even threw bottles and chairs. Vandalism of stadium infrastructure followed, as the police struggled to ensure law and order. With the situation spiralling out of control, Messi had to be whisked away by the organisers of the ‘GOAT tour,’ including promoter Shatadru Dutta.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan who was to receive the footballer, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, and Chief Minister Banerjee couldn’t participate in the event as it was cut short amid the chaos. The BJP ripped into Banerjee and accused her party of political one-upmanship and “sheer mismanagement” at the event.

“Total embarrassment on an international stage. A global legend like Messi will see a massive public turnout and yet zero planning & very little security! CM Mamata Banerjee can’t even organise or manage an event,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said. The BJP’s IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, called it a “huge disgrace” that will remain etched in the pages of history forever and called for the resignation of the state sports minister.

“For bringing an international player like Messi to West Bengal, playing with the emotions of ordinary people, and pushing them towards such serious risk, the State Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas, must resign immediately,” he said. The Trinamool, in an attempt to defend itself from the allegations, hit out at the organisers.

“Why wasn’t Messi kept alone ahead during the stadium lap? Why were the gallery spectators deprived? Did this enhance Kolkata’s reputation? Why didn’t the incompetent organizers leave even a mark of minimal planning? Just money? Just business? Because of these organizers and some hooligans, everyone was deprived. Kolkata was shamed. The spectators’ anger is justified,” said Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh.

The police personnel tried to push back the crowd but they were outnumbered. Chaos ensued at the football stadium for several minutes. Even outside the stadium thousands of football fans gathered and shouted against the administration and the organisers. There was a large deployment of police which resorted to baton charge to control the crowd.

Lionel Messi on his G.O.A.T. India tour 2025, and he arrived in Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday. There were elaborate arrangements to welcome Messi and a 70ft long statue of the Argentinian football legend has been erected on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass near the Sreebhumi Sporting Club in Lake Town which was unveiled by the Argentine footballer virtually. The statue depicts Messi holding the FIFA World Cup trophy. The unveiling drew a huge crowd of fans who gathered in Lake Town to witness the moment. This was Lionel Messi’s second visit to Kolkata that did not go as planned. The football star had visited the city 14 years ago.

West Bengal Minister and Sreebhumi Sporting Club President Sujit Bose said Lionel Messi and his team were happy with the statue installed in Lake Town. He said Messi and his team had given their consent to the statue and were happy with it. “We have talked to his manager, and today we will talk to Messi… He gave his consent for the statue and they are also happy…,” Mr Bose said. The construction of the statue was completed in just 40 days, Bose said. “We built this statue in 40 days. This is a very big statue, 70 feet in height. There is no other statue of Messi this big in the world,” he said.

West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said the organisers have been detained. “We have already detained the main organiser and we are trying to ensure that fans are compensated,” Mr Kumar said. “No reports of injuries to fans… Traffic has been normalised. The incident has been localised to Salt Lake Stadium,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG Law and Order.

Notably, this was Messi’s first visit to India since 2011. During his previous visit, the legendary footballer played a friendly match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where Argentina defeated Venezuela 1-0. His return after 14 years has generated immense excitement among football fans, who have been preparing for a grand celebration to welcome the global icon.