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What forced angry Kolkata fans to turn violent at Lionel Messi event: Paid thousands but only ministers, VIPs got access
Fans expressed outrage over Messi's event, feeling it was poorly organized and catered to VIPs, leaving paying ticket-holders disappointed.
Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium was supposed to be the venue of celebration on Saturday (December 13). Instead, the loudest noise after Lionel Messi’s appearance wasn’t chanting — it was the sound of supporters feeling short-changed.
As the football icon’s stadium lap was cut short and security tightened, fans in the stands and on social media poured out frustration: not at Messi, but at an experience they believed had been hijacked by access, optics and poor planning.
‘We paid, we didn’t even see him’: anger spills into the open
In video clips shared by news agencies, furious spectators accused organisers of turning the programme into a VIP showcase. One fan summed up the complaint in a line that quickly travelled online: “Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi,” adding that despite paying ₹12,000, they “couldn’t even see his face.”
Another supporter called the event “terrible,” saying Messi was visible for only a few minutes and that the crowd never got the moment they were sold — “no kick, no penalty,” and no clear view from the stands. The same videos captured a growing chorus demanding refunds as fans argued premium ticket prices had created expectations the event simply didn’t meet.
“Seeing the utter chaos, the management, the authorities, it was absolutely rubbish. All the people you see here love football. We all wanted to see Messi, but it was a total scam. We want our money back,” a fan said.
Parents were among the most upset. One attendee said their child had been excited for hours, but the experience felt like “a scam for the people” once Messi arrived and was immediately surrounded.
Another fan of star footballer Lionel Messi felt cheated accusing the VIPs of hogging Messi's time
"The minimum price of the ticket was 5 thousand, and why were the VVIPs and ministers around Messi? We couldn't even see him... Why weren't the police taking action? I don't know anything. Everyone was furious... We want the refund," the fan said.
Also Read: Lionel Messi’s early departure sparks chaos; fans run riot, vandalise Salt Lake Stadium, hurl bottles, burn chairs
The outrage wasn’t confined to the stadium. On X, posts sharing the unrest described a “poor organised event” and claimed management “played with fans’ emotion,” with one viral reaction boiling it down to three blunt words: “Pathetic. Woeful. Poignant.”
Some fans framed it even more starkly. A separate report quoted an attendee calling it “a complete fraud,” alleging that the best access went to media, police and political figures while paying ticket-holders were kept away.
By the time the videos of bottles and chairs flying flooded timelines, the story had shifted from Messi’s presence to a trust deficit: fans came for a glimpse of greatness, and left convinced the show was never really for them.
