For Kolkata, the City of Joy, 13 December 2025 was supposed to be a city of unbridled celebration. Lionel Messi — one of football’s greatest players, and a World Cup winner — was supposed to grace the city. Yet, by the turn of noon, the Mecca of Indian football took a ghastly turn, as celebration translated into chaos. Thousands of chairs were uprooted, the players’ dugout was set ablaze, and Lionel Messi reportedly was left frustrated.
What Exactly Happened?
Lionel Messi arrived at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan around 11:30 AM, as scheduled. In accordance with the original itinerary, he was supposed to exchange greetings with former Indian footballers, who were, prior to Messi’s arrival, competing in a game featuring Mohun Bagan Messi All Stars vs Diamond Harbour Messi All Stars.
Messi’s convoy, which also included his Inter Miami teammates — fellow World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul and Uruguay’s Luis Suarez — took a direct entry into the ground, and shook hands with the retired domestic stars.
What triggered the chaos, however, was the mismanaged crowd. An absurd number of people had already entered the field of play, which included politicians, film celebrities from the region, and representatives of the official sponsors.
After a round of greetings, Messi also spent time with aspiring footballers, but all this while, the crowd encircling him kept growing in numbers. At one stage, Messi sought refuge under a canopy, which further agitated the crowd and triggered a round of boos, as they could not catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer.
Notably, the cheapest ticket for the event was priced at Rs 3,800, whilst the hospitality figures reached five digits. With agitation gathering pace, Messi was escorted out of the stadium at around 11:50 AM — thereby calling curtains to his Kolkata halt after only a 20-minute visit.
Messi Was Frustrated: Lalkamal Bhowmick
Lalkamal Bhowmick, who was a part of the Legends’ fixture, claimed that he overheard Messi expressing his frustrating.
He told The Quint:
Messi was visibly frustrated. He was made to walk from one end of the stadium to another, and was completely engulfed by the crowd. At one stage, he even told his manager ‘What am I doing here? Why am I walking all the way in this heat? I can’t be doing this.’ So, his manager decided to pull the plug.Lalkamal Bhowmick
Dipendu Biswas, who also played in the game, told The Quint:
This is really unfortunate. We have to understand that the fans come first. People have spent thousands of rupees to see Messi, but they were not able to do that. I had told the organisers repeatedly that fans should be prioritised. The first step ideally should have been taking Messi on a car and taking a lap around the stadium. The crowd should have been managed in a better way as well.Dipendu Biswas
Kibu Vicuna, coach of Diamond Harbour, however, claimed that he could not sense frustration at the onset.
Honestly, Messi was enjoying his time. I am from Spain, so I could speak in Spanish with him. We were talking about India, and things were going really well at the start. This was a huge occasion for Kolkata. But then, it took such an unfortunate turn.Kibu Vicuna
Syed Rahim Nabi commented:
This is unfortunate. The fans should have been given what they came to see. I feel that such a huge crowd should not have been allowed on the ground. Us, players, were fortunate to speak with him, but what was supposed to be a nice day took such a bad turn.Syed Rahim Nabi
Organiser Detained From Airport
With Messi in his car, the organiser, Satadru Dutta, alongside West Bengal’s Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas, was spotted in a lengthy exchange with Messi’s entourage, who could not be convinced to stay any longer after witnessing the mismanagement.
What unfolded next was unbridled mayhem, as fans uprooted thousands of chairs. The iconic Salt Lake Stadium, which was renovated only eight years ago for the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup, was significantly vandalised, with a section of fans even setting fire on the canopy Messi was supposed to rest under. The police eventually resorted to lathi charge, with many fans ending up getting hurt.
Addressing the press — who also faced the wrath of the enraged fans — Kolkata Police DG Rajeev Kumar assured that all ticket buyers will be provided with a refund. Additionally, he also confirmed that organiser Satadru Dutta has been detained from the Kolkata Airport.
Shah Rukh Leaves Without Stepping Out of His Car, Mamata Banerjee Apologises
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was expected to be the chief guest at the event, apologised to Lionel Messi for the mismanagement. She 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. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident. I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members. The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers.Mamata Banerjee, on X
Alongside the CM, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was also supposed to grace the event. Though he arrived at the venue, Khan did not step out of his car as protests had already begun by then. After waiting inside for the better part of an hour, he left the stadium.