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| Date | 13 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:15 pm – 12:53 pm (IST) |
| Location | Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, India |
| Type | Crowd crush |
| Cause | Overcrowding during celebrations |
| Non-fatal injuries | 17 |
On 13 December 2025, the Argentine football player Lionel Messi arrived in Kolkata recently as part of his 2025 G.O.A.T. Tour, what began as a historic celebration quickly turned into a significant controversy. [1] [2]
While many fondly remember his first visit in 2011, his most recent appearance on December 13, 2025, was marked by a "royal mess" at the Salt Lake Stadium.
On 12 December 2025, Lionel Messi arrived at Kolkata Airport for his 6-day tour to India, with covering other three cities of Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. [3] On 13 December 2025, he was scheduled to reach Salt Lake Stadium for attending the first segment of his 'GOAT' tour of India, in Kolkata. [4] Messi arrived at the stadium at around 11:15 AM (IST) along with his teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, but immediately he was swamped after that. [5] Soon, after that public who were present in the stadium got frustrated in anger and started to vandalize the stadium immediately with ripping up stadium seats and throwing them onto the pitch, along with bottles and banners. [6] [7] Public alleged that West Bengal state sports minister Aroop Biswas was seen in the event, and not Messi. They even alleged that they only seen actress Subhashree Ganguly at the event and not Messi. They even criticized her for unneccesary pics with the player. While her husband and TMC MLA Raj Chakraborty defended her wife Ganguly for such activites and even said that she was only there just to promote the Bengali film industry. [8] People being frustrated on, started to vandalize the entire stadium quickly, despite early police intervention. They broke all chairs, banners and other equipments in the stadium. [9]
Immediately after the chaos, the main organiser and promoter Satadru Dutta was arrested by Bidhannagar City Police from Kolkata Airport as he tried to leave for Hyderabad with Messi's entourage and sent to custody for 14 days. [10] However, on 28 December, the custody was extended upto 9 January 2026 by the court as several charges were implemented by the public prosecutors. [11]
During the financial investigation, it was revealed that that approximately ₹19 crore (approx USD 2.10 million) was collected from ticket sales alone. Authorities have frozen over ₹20 crore (approx. USD 2.22 million) in Dutta’s bank accounts. There are also allegations of corruption regarding food and beverage contracts. [12]