{"id":26392,"date":"2025-12-13T16:34:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T16:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/13\/messis-visit-triggers-chaos-in-kolkata-fans-angry-cm-apologises-organiser-held-football-news\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T16:34:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T16:34:40","slug":"messis-visit-triggers-chaos-in-kolkata-fans-angry-cm-apologises-organiser-held-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/13\/messis-visit-triggers-chaos-in-kolkata-fans-angry-cm-apologises-organiser-held-football-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Messi&#8217;s Visit Triggers Chaos In Kolkata: Fans Angry, CM Apologises, Organiser Held | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"story-9768623\">\n<p><span class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-3759419209\">Last Updated:<\/span><time class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-3759419209\">December 13, 2025, 22:02 IST<\/time><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asubttl-9768623\" class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-1388531546 asubttl-schema\">Argentina&#8217;s World Cup-winning captain had to leave the field early after widespread chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. Event organiser Satadru Dutta has been arrested<\/h2>\n<div class=\"jsx-cc1b15cf85effb8b artsharwrp\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news18.co\/gnps-en-btn\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"jsx-91f4da8d48c13a79 gglebtn bgblu\"\/><\/p>\n<div id=\"artshare\" class=\"jsx-cc1b15cf85effb8b artshare\">\n<div class=\"jsx-cc1b15cf85effb8b stickdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-cc1b15cf85effb8b deskwrapstkdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-cc1b15cf85effb8b fontchange\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/font.svg\" height=\"30px\" width=\"30px\" alt=\"font\" title=\"font\" class=\"jsx-cc1b15cf85effb8b lazyload\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-1388531546\">\n<figure class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-1388531546 amimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Smoke erupts after chairs were set on fire amid chaos during an event of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi as part of his 'G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025', at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), in Kolkata on December 13, 2025. (Image: PTI)\" title=\"Smoke erupts after chairs were set on fire amid chaos during an event of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi as part of his 'G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025', at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), in Kolkata on December 13, 2025. (Image: PTI)\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg?impolicy=website&amp;width=400&amp;height=225\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-1388531546\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Smoke erupts after chairs were set on fire amid chaos during an event of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi as part of his &#8216;G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025&#8217;, at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), in Kolkata on December 13, 2025. (Image: PTI)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"0\" class=\"story_para_0\">The eagerly anticipated return of football icon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/india\/messis-kolkata-event-organiser-arrested-bengal-govt-forms-committee-to-look-into-chaos-9768085.html\">Lionel Messi<\/a> to Kolkata after 14 years spiralled into pandemonium on Saturday at the Salt Lake Stadium (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan), transforming a celebratory event into a scene of vandalism, fury, and intense political warfare between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).<\/p>\n<p id=\"1\" class=\"story_para_1\">Several invited dignitaries, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, as well as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, were unable to participate in the event as planned.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><iframe title=\"Messi Leaves Salt Lake Stadium Quickly; Angry Fans Throw Bottles And Vandalise Seats Posters | N18V\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bxByTo950g8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4>How Chaos Kicked Off<\/h4>\n<p id=\"3\" class=\"story_para_3\">The disaster unfolded when Messi, part of the inaugural leg of his \u201cGOAT India Tour 2025&#8243; along with teammates Luis Su\u00e1rez and Rodrigo De Paul, made an appearance that was devastatingly brief. Fans, many of whom had shelled out exorbitant sums\u2014tickets reportedly ranged from Rs 4,000 to over Rs 12,000, with some VVIP passes going for much higher\u2014expected a showcase or a celebratory lap. Instead, Messi\u2019s stay lasted a mere 20 minutes, during which he was so heavily surrounded by officials, local politicians, and security staff that thousands of spectators in the stands were unable to catch a proper glimpse of the football legend.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4\" class=\"story_para_4\">The disappointment quickly curdled into rage. Irate fans began hurling bottles and plastic chairs onto the pitch, uprooting stadium property, and attempting to breach security gates between the stands. The mayhem forced Messi to cut short his appearance and be quickly ushered out, leaving behind a stadium damaged by disappointed supporters who booed officials and chanted slogans. The bedlam led the West Bengal Police to arrest main organiser, Satadru Dutta, and announce that efforts would be made to refund tickets to the disappointed spectators.<\/p>\n<h4>Political Row: BJP vs TMC<\/h4>\n<p id=\"5\" class=\"story_para_5\">The chaos immediately detonated a furious political slugfest, with the opposition BJP seizing the opportunity to attack the ruling TMC over the perceived mismanagement and corruption ahead of the West Bengal polls early next year.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6\" class=\"story_para_6\">Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP\u2019s Leader of the Opposition, launched a scathing attack, branding the event as a \u201cTMC Loot-Fest at Yuva Bharati&#8221;. He accused senior TMC ministers and leaders of treating the sporting icon\u2019s visit as their \u201cpersonal photo-op&#8221;, monopolising Messi\u2019s time and crowding him out while genuine, passionate fans were sidelined and left staring at the stadium\u2019s giant screens. Adhikari further alleged that the mismanagement constituted a \u201ccriminal assault on West Bengal\u2019s pride&#8221; and demanded the immediate resignation of the state\u2019s Sports Minister Arup Biswas and a complete refund for all ticket holders. He urged the governor to order a High Court-led inquiry, stating that only an independent probe could restore faith in governance.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7\" class=\"story_para_7\">The ruling TMC, while scrambling to contain the damage, shifted the blame squarely onto the organisers, while tacitly acknowledging the administrative failure. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed that she was \u201cdeeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement&#8221; and issued a public apology to Messi and the fans. She immediately constituted a high-level enquiry committee led by a retired Calcutta High Court Judge, Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, and including the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, to investigate the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend future measures. However, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also took aim at the excessive presence of \u201coverzealous&#8221; people close to the organisers who prevented fans from seeing the star, thereby obliquely acknowledging the VIP culture that triggered the rage.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8\" class=\"story_para_8\">Observers say the collapse of the high-profile event has severely damaged the state\u2019s international image and is seen as a major political embarrassment for the TMC, reinforcing the BJP\u2019s narrative of administrative decay and elite corruption in the state ahead of future electoral battles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-ff4fe2ed9527ebb3 midgprfd\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ff4fe2ed9527ebb3 midgprfdbtn\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/google-color.svg\" width=\"36\" height=\"36\" alt=\"\" class=\"jsx-ff4fe2ed9527ebb3\"\/><span class=\"jsx-ff4fe2ed9527ebb3\">Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-1388531546 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>December 13, 2025, 20:43 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-1388531546 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/football\/\">football<\/a>  <span class=\"brdout\"> Messi&#8217;s Visit Triggers Chaos In Kolkata: Fans Angry, CM Apologises, Organiser Held<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-1388531546 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/sports\/football\/as-messi-kolkata-visit-turns-messy-event-becomes-political-football-for-bjp-tmc-ahead-of-polls-9768623.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:December 13, 2025, 22:02 IST Argentina&#8217;s World Cup-winning captain had to leave the field early after widespread chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. Event organiser Satadru Dutta has been arrested Smoke erupts after chairs were set on fire amid chaos during an event of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi as part of his&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}