E-Paper
Messi's Kolkata event organiser arrested as violent chaos makes CM Mamata apologise; police promise to get ticket refund
“Govt has constituted a committee that will look into all aspects, including whether there was any mismanagement on the organiser's side,” said DGP Rajeev Kumar
The police in Kolkata have arrested the organiser of Saturday's event around Argentine footballer Lionel Messi's visit at the Salt Lake stadium, where fans got violent as he only stayed for a few minutes and was not visible to most attendees.
“There was some kind of anger or anxiety in the fans saying that he's not playing. The plan was that he would come here, wave, meet certain people and leave,” West Bengal director general of police Rajeev Kumar told news agency PTI. “Now the government has already constituted a committee that will look into all aspects."
Scores of people lost their cool and hurled bottles and chairs, at Yubha Bharati Krirangan (stadium) in Salt Lake, after they did not get a proper glimpse of Messi.
The state police chief said the organisers are "giving in writing” that tickets would be refunded. “Now the situation is under control,” he said.
Tickets were sold at upwards of ₹4,000, up to ₹25,000, fans said.
The organiser's arrest was confirmed by additional DGP (law and order) Jawed Shamim. “The FIR has been lodged, and the chief organiser has been arrested,” he told news agency ANI.
Local media reports said the man arrested is Satadru Dutta, though the name was not yet confirmed independently by HT.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who could not make it to the event as it fell victim to chaos in minutes, said she was shocked.
“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” Banerjee wrote on X.
“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,” her post read.
Fans on social media too poured out frustration, not at Messi but at an experience they believed was hijacked by “access”, optics and poor planning, HT has reported.
In video clips shared by news agencies, furious spectators accused organisers of turning the programme into a “VIP showcase”. One fan's succinct complaint travelled fast online: “Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi,” adding that even after paying ₹12,000, they “couldn’t even see his face".
Another supporter said the crowd never got the moment they were sold — “no kick, no penalty”. The videos captured a growing chorus demanding refunds, which the top police officials have since promised to get from the organisers.
This was the first event in Messi's three-day, four-city ‘GOAT India Tour 2025’.
