Lionel Messi’s tour of India got off to a chaotic start on Saturday when fans threw objects, tore up seats and invaded the pitch at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium after the Argentine soccer great made only a brief appearance at a ticketed event.
West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar said the chief organizer of the event, Satadru Dutta, was arrested by the police.
Messi was scheduled to visit the stadium for 45 minutes, but his appearance lasted only 20 minutes. Tickets for the event cost around 3,500 rupees ($58.32), more than half the average weekly income in India, but one fan said they paid $130 ($195.43).
Fans at the stadium in the West Bengal state capital threw torn seats and other objects onto the field, while several people climbed a fence around the field and threw objects.
Fans broke away and threw their seats after Messi left. (Getty Images: Hindustan Times/Samir Jana)
“I can’t believe there was so much mismanagement,” said Eddie Lal Hmangaihzuala, who had traveled nearly 1,500 kilometers from Mizoram in two days to attend the event.
“Messi left quickly. I think he didn’t feel safe. I barely saw him,” he told Reuters.
Tour organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We have already arrested the main organizer,” Rajeev Kumar told reporters.
“We are acting to ensure that this mismanagement does not go unpunished.
“He has already committed in writing that tickets sold for the event will be refunded,” he said.
Chief Minister vows to investigate
Lionel Messi was surrounded by security during his appearance. (Getty Images: NurPhoto/Debarchan Chatterjee)
Messi is in India as part of a tour during which he is scheduled to attend concerts, youth football camps and a padel tournament, and launch charity initiatives at events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologized to Messi and ordered a probe into the incident.
“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement seen today at Salt Lake Stadium,” Ms. Banerjee, who was on her way to the event when the chaos broke out, said on X.
“I sincerely apologize to Lionel Messi, as well as all sports fans and his fans, for this unfortunate incident,” she said.
Fans destroyed Salt Lake stadium after Messi withdrew. (Getty Images: NurPhoto/Debajyoti Chakraborty)
She said she was constituting a committee to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident, assign responsibilities and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.
The states of West Bengal, Kerala and Goa have long had many football fans in an otherwise cricket-mad India.
Multiple fan riots have taken place at Salt Lake Stadium, including during a Kolkata derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in 2012, which was abandoned after a brick was thrown from the stands and hit a player, seriously injuring him.
Argentine football great Diego Maradona visited Kolkata twice and, in 2017, unveiled a statue of himself holding the World Cup in the presence of thousands of fans.
Messi, who captained Argentina for the first time in a friendly match at the Salt Lake Stadium in a 1-0 win over Venezuela in 2011, virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself in Kolkata earlier on Saturday.
Reuters
