Not long after football icon Lionel Messi left the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, angry fans created a ruckus, throwing bottles and chairs at the organisers.
Sources told THE WEEK that the fans were unhappy with the fact that Messi left after spending very little time in the stadium. He left within 15 minutes of his arrival at the venue, around 11:15am, which angered fans as they could not get a glimpse of the former Barcelona icon. He was encircled by a lot of people and the crowd hardly got the opportunity to see the icon up close. There was no stadium lap as expected, which further infuriated the crowd, social media users said.
Spectators who had spent exuberant to enter the stadium but were unable to even see him up close as he was surrounded by a lot of VIPs, including politicians and actors, apart from the security personnel. Angry supporters who paid from Rs.5000 to Rs.25,000 for tickets to get a glimpse of Messi, tried to enter the office to find organisers and question them over what they termed as being unfair as they did not get to see Messi due to the shamiana with VIPs was blocking their view. It was the unrest that forced Messi to end the stadium lap, some reports said.
One protestor said, “The VIP were taking selfies and journalists were surrounding the area. How could we see anything? I paid Rs.11,000 for a ticket to get a glimpse of Messi.”
As police lathicharged protestors, one was injured and claimed there was no first aid at the venue. There are demands of refund from the organisers and that they should be arrested. The audiences also questioned where Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was, as they paid to see Messi and his fellow footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.
"Poor Organised event in Kolkata. Management played with fans emotion," one disappointed fan jotted on X from the stadium.
"Scenes of chaos and complete mismanagement at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. Angry fans were forced to throw bottles and chairs from the stands after being pushed to the brink by sheer mismanagement. Football icon Lionel Messi left the stadium within just 15 minutes," another wrote.
Messi's GOAT India Tour began on Saturday with a sponsors' meet-and-greet before heading to the Salt Lake Stadium for a tribute programme featuring music, dance and an exhibition match between Mohun Bagan 'Messi' All Stars and Diamond Harbour 'Messi' All Stars. Thousands braved the December chill and waited past midnight to give a rousing welcome to Lionel Messi as he arrived in Kolkata for his whirlwind three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour 2025.
Not long after football icon Lionel Messi left the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, angry fans created a ruckus, throwing bottles and chairs at the organisers.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose sought the report after several football enthusiasts complained to him that they could not get an opportunity to have a glimpse of their favourite player during the programme in the city, as ticket prices were "hefty", he said. The Lok Bhavan has been receiving calls and mails from football fans complaining that they were unable to get tickets for the Messi match as the prices are beyond their reach. Now, the governor is keen to know why this is happening. Why are the common people unable to see their favourite star when he is here? the Lok Bhavan official told PTI.
(With inputs from Prema Rajaram)