'Deeply disturbed, shocked': Mamata Banerjee apologises to Messi after Salt Lake fiasco

Messi was on the first leg of his GOAT India Tour on Saturday when chaos erupted as crowd vandalised stadium property after failing to get a glimpse of him.

Updated on: Dec 13, 2025, 16:23:06 IST

By HT News Desk

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West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday that she was “deeply disturbed and shocked” by the “mismanagement” witnessed at Salt Lake stadium during footballer Lionel Messi's visit.

Mamata Banerjee added that she is constituting a probe committee to conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident. (PTI/AFP)

Her remarks come after some people lost their cool and hurled bottles and chairs at the Yubha Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata's Salt Lake after they did not get a proper glimpse of footballer Lionel Messi.

Banerjee extended her apologies to the ace footballer and also to sports lovers over the incident and said that she was on her way to way to the stadium to attend the same event.

Also read: Lionel Messi forced to leave early amid utter chaos; angry fans vandalise Salt Lake Stadium, hurl bottles; RAF deployed

“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” Banerjee wrote in a post on X.

Lionel Messi was on the first leg of his GOAT India Tour on Saturday morning in Kolkata when chaos erupted as crowd vandalised the stadium property after failing to get a proper glimpse of the footballer.

Also read: 'Messi came for 10 mins': What went wrong at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium that left fans fuming

Probe committee formed

Mamata Banerjee added that she is constituting a probe committee to conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. The committee will be headed by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, with the chief secretary and the additional chief secretary of home and hill affairs department as members.

“Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers,” she wrote.

What happened?

Fans, excited to see football legend Lionel Messi in West Bengal's Kolkata on Saturday morning were left disappointed when they could not get a proper glimpse of the footballer as he visited the stadium for a blink-and-miss 22-minute appearance.

Several fans at the stadium accused leaders and ministers of surrounding Messi and hogging his time, leaving fans waiting for their chance to see and interact with the football legend.

The ticket prices of the event went as high as ₹18,000.

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HT News Desk
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