Lionel Messi Kolkata visit: Organiser arrested by police, confirms fans to get refund

Lionel Messi’s much-awaited visit to India began on a troubled note in Kolkata, after chaos broke out at the Salt Lake stadium during the event. The situation became serious enough for authorities to step in and question the event organisers. The main organiser of the GOAT India Tour 2025, Satadru Dutta, was stopped at Kolkata airport on Saturday (Dec 13) while travelling to Hyderabad. West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar confirmed that Dutta was detained and later submitted a written assurance that money will be refunded to all the fans who bought tickets and came to watch Messi. However, Jawed Shamim, ADG Law and Order, later confirmed that Dutta had been arrested.

According to Kumar, a government committee will investigate every aspect, including whether mismanagement contributed to the breakdown at the venue.

“We have persuaded the organiser; he has given in writing that the tickets which have been sold will be refunded. The situation is now under control. We have detained the main organiser and ensured that this mismanagement does not go unpunished and that the fans are adequately compensated,” he said, as quoted by Sportstar.

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The Kolkata event was scheduled to last about four hours starting at 9 am. Actor Shah Rukh Khan was expected to attend the event, but he had already met Messi earlier during an online event to unveil a large statue of the football star.

Messi later arrived at Salt Lake Stadium with his Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez, along with state sports officials, event organisers and police security.

Problems began when Messi walked around the field to greet fans. The crowd pushed forward, making it hard for police to maintain the perimeter.

A planned training session with children from across West Bengal was cancelled as the number of people on the field kept rising. Messi eventually left the stadium early for safety reasons.

After his exit, angry fans broke into the ground and threw water bottles, damaged seats and tore posters. Many spectators were upset as some had paid up to INR 20,000 for tickets.

Messi and Suarez will now head to Hyderabad, where they will be take part in another event organized by the Telangana government. He expected to play an exhibition match with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

The GOAT tour will then move to Mumbai on Sunday, where Messi will again play a charity match and later participate in a fashion event, which will also see him team up with Luis Suarez. The last day of the tour will be in New Delhi as the Argentine will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday before concluding his tour at an event in New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.