Leo Messi can be considered a worldwide phenomenom. He is recognisable everywhere. There's absolutely no need to be a sports fan to identify who he is. He will soon be immortalised in various ways around the world.
One such instance took place this past week in Kolkata, India, when a statue was revealed when he came to visit the country. Unfortunately, chaos ensued when the statue was revealed.
Kolkata has a tradition of celebrating football icons. On Saturday afternoon, that expectation turned into anger as Lionel Messi’s scheduled appearance ended amid disorder at the Salt Lake Stadium.
The city’s long wait to see the Argentine star did not last long. Messi, who is in India as part of his GOAT Tour, was forced to end his lap of honour at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan after the crowd surged towards the field. Bottles were thrown from the stands, and security staff escorted him off the ground within minutes.
Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium was meant to erupt in celebration on Saturday, 13 December. Instead, what came next after Lionel Messi’s brief appearance was outrage, from fans who said they paid premium prices only to be pushed aside while ministers, celebrities and VIPs took centre stage.
As security tightened and Messi’s lap around the stadium was abruptly cut short, frustration spilled out in the stands and online. The fury was not directed at the football icon but at organisers accused of hijacking the event through poor planning, restricted access and VIP prioritisation.
Videos shared by news agencies showed visibly angry spectators accusing organisers of turning the programme into a VIP showcase. One fan, whose remark quickly went viral, said despite paying ₹12 000 for a ticket, he 'couldn’t even see Messi’s face', alleging that, "only leaders and actors were surrounding him."
Another supporter described the event as 'terrible', saying Messi was visible for only a few minutes. "There was no kick, no penalty, no moment. This is not what we were promised," he said, as chants demanding refunds grew louder in the stands.
"Seeing the utter chaos, the management, the authorities, it was absolutely rubbish," another fan said on camera. “Everyone here loves football. We all came to see Messi. This was a total scam. We want our money back.”
Parents were among the most distressed. One attendee said his child had waited for hours, only to watch Messi arrive and be immediately surrounded by VIPs. "It felt like a scam for ordinary people," he said.
Another fan questioned why police and officials didn't intervene. "The minimum ticket was ₹5 000. Why were VVIPs and ministers hogging Messi’s time? We couldn’t even see him. Everyone was furious," he said, demanding a refund.
The backlash quickly moved to social media. Posts on X described the programme as 'poorly organised' and accused the management of 'playing with fans’ emotions'. One viral reaction summed up the mood in three words, 'Pathetic. Woeful. Poignant.'
Some attendees went further, calling the event 'a complete fraud' and alleging that the best access was reserved for politicians, media personnel and police, while paying fans were kept at a distance.
As visuals of bottles being hurled and chairs set on fire flooded timelines, the narrative around Messi’s visit shifted dramatically. What was billed as a historic football celebration ended as a trust deficit, with fans convinced the spectacle was never truly meant for them.
What was meant to be a memorable day for football fans in the City of Joy turned into confusion, with "less of Messi" and more of what several spectators described as a "royal mess," as order inside the stadium broke down.
Many fans, including those who bought high-priced tickets, said they did not get to see Messi at all, either in person or on the giant screens; even after waiting for hours. A tight security set up and the presence of politicians and other dignitaries in key seating areas further limited visibility, adding to the anger among spectators.
The World Cup-winning captain reached the stadium around 11:30 along with long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
is vehicle was parked close to the touchline. When he stepped onto the ground, he was surrounded by VIPs, organisers, celebrities and security staff, leaving fans in the stands struggling to see him.
Messi walked only a short distance on the field and waved briefly at the crowd as chants of "Messi, Messi" rang out across the stadium.
Soon, spectators realised that the footballer remained enclosed by security and invited guests, making him difficult to see from many parts of the galleries. Several fans said even the giant screens did not show him clearly.
Anger grew as it became clear that the Argentine star wouldn't complete the planned lap of the stadium. Chants of "We want Messi" became louder. Messi then turned back midway and was taken off the field well before the scheduled end of his appearance.
Once news spread that he had left early, tempers flared. Bottles were thrown from the stands onto the field, followed by plastic chairs. Sponsor banners and hoardings were pulled down, fibreglass seats were broken, and some spectators tried to tear down barricades to enter the ground.
Repeated announcements over the public address system asking unauthorised people to leave the ground were largely ignored, as fans continued shouting slogans against the organisers and the state sports department.
Within minutes, hundreds of spectators spilled onto the pitch, pulling down temporary tents and damaging equipment placed near the boundary. Police struggled to control the crowd, leading to the deployment of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) inside the stadium.
Ticket prices ranged from Rs 4 500 to Rs 10 000, with many fans arriving early in the morning hoping to see the footballer closely.
Video footage shared by ANI showed fans hurling broken stadium seats and other objects onto the field and the athletics track. Several individuals jumped the fence surrounding the playing area and threw objects.
"There were only officials and actors surrounding Messi… so why did they call us? We paid 12,000 rupees for a ticket, but we couldn’t even see his face," an angry fan told Indian news agency ANI at the stadium.
The disorder also led to the early end of the programme, leaving several invited guests, including Bollywood actor, Shah Rukh Khan; former India cricket captain, Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, unable to take part as planned.
"Here, a glass of cold drink costs Rs 150–200, yet we couldn’t even catch a glimpse of Messi. People have spent a month’s salary to see him. I paid Rs 5 000 for the ticket and came with my son to watch Messi not politicians. The police and military personnel were taking selfies and the management is to blame. There wasn’t even drinking water available,” an angry fan, Ajay Shah, told news agency PTI.
Police on Saturday detained Satadru Datta, the main organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at the Salt Lake Stadium, after the chaos forced the World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Datta was detained over alleged mismanagement of the event from Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage as they departed for Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP, Rajeev Kumar, said.
Kumar added that the organiser had given a written assurance that ticket money would be refunded to spectators who were disappointed.
Earlier in the day, actor Shah Rukh Khan met Lionel Messi in Kolkata during the GOAT India Tour 2025. Messi arrived in India with long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentina team-mate Rodrigo De Paul.
Messi had earlier visited India in 2011, when he led the Argentina national team in a match against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Messi virtually inaugurated a 21-meter statue of himself in the city on Saturday morning.
I'm with the fans. I'd be furious too if I paid that much for a next-to-nothing event. I wouldn't go as far as to instigate violence. There's no need for that kind of behaviour. Innocent people can get hurt.
I applaud the authorities for taking action. Someone needs to be held responsible for the failed event. Based on the information, it certainly looks like it was a political event.