Kolkata: Reacting to the chaos at football star Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour event at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 13, Saturday, All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey launched a sharp criticism of the manner in which the programme was conducted. “I would say that the event we saw it became the West Bengal Sports Minister’s personal event. People have seen through the television or other medium that West Bengal Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas, was more in frame than Messi yesterday. It was of personal canvassing, election canvassing and using an international player for a completely vested interest” Chaubey said, expressing concern over the politicisation of the event and the issues that followed.
The AIFF chief’s remarks come amid widespread criticism of the event’s organisation, which was marred by disorder and left fans disappointed, prompting questions about planning, crowd management and the programme’s intent. Messi’s Kolkata leg of the GOAT India Tour descended into chaos on after fans expressed disappointment when the Argentine legend left the event at Salt Lake Stadium much earlier than planned, leaving the crowd angry. Many fans who paid a hefty amount to watch a glimpse of the football icon Messi became angry and began throwing water bottles and chairs from the stands. The angry mob also entered the ground and tried to vandalise the tent and the goal post. The situation escalated and police personnel used mild force to disperse the angry crowd.
After the incident, the All India Football Federation issued a statement clarifying that Messi’s Kolkata show was a private event organised by a PR agency. “The All India Football Federation is deeply concerned by the events that transpired at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, where thousands of fans gathered to witness world football stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Rodrigo de Paul”. AIFF said. “This was a private event organised by a PR agency. The AIFF was not involved in the organisation, planning or execution of this event in any capacity. Furthermore, the details of the event were neither communicated to the AIFF, nor was any clearance sought from the Federation”, the post read.
West Bengal government is responsible for the mismanagement: Minister Sukanta Majumdar
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar accused the West Bengal government for mismanagement during the Messi’s Kolkata show. Majumdar alleged that the event was hijacked by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, claiming that both the organisers and those surrounding Messi were linked to the ruling party.
Speaking to ANI, Majumdar said, “This is the mismanagement of the West Bengal government. The organisers were people from TMC itself and now TMC is trying to show that they are separate, but they are not; both are the same. TMC leaders were present there and they tried to hijack this event. Whoever was around Messi, all of them were TMC people”.
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal also criticised the West Bengal government over the handling of the Argentina footballer Lionel Messi’s event in Kolkata, saying the administration failed to manage the large crowd properly and accused officials from the state government of hogging Messi. The BJP leader added that this prevented people who had paid for tickets from getting a glimpse of Messi and warned that if such events are not managed properly, they could lead to incidents endangering both life and property.
Speaking on the incident, Khandelwal said, “The West Bengal government clearly appears to have failed in this event. People from the West Bengal government surrounded him and those from whom a large amount of money was taken did not even get a glimpse, which caused all the disorder. I think the administration there is directly responsible for this. Events of this type, if not properly managed, can also prove to be a danger to life and property”. Messi’s much-anticipated Kolkata appearance ended in chaos after fans alleged that the presence of VIPs and politicians on the pitch deprived them of a proper glimpse of the World Cup-winning superstar, for whom they had bought tickets. The situation escalated after Messi left the venue early, triggering protests, slogan-shouting and vandalism inside the Salt Lake Stadium.
A total collapse of law and order: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also launched a sharp attack on the West Bengal government over the chaos that erupted during football icon Lionel Messi’s Kolkata appearance, alleging a “total collapse of law and order” in the state and blaming what he described as an entrenched VIP culture for ruining the event. Referring to the disorder during Messi’s Kolkata leg of the ‘GOAT Tour 2025’, Sarma said accountability should begin at the top. “The State’s Home Minister, who is the Chief Minister and the Kolkata Police Commissioner should have been arrested”, he said, while adding that he was not justifying or opposing the arrest of the event organiser. “First responsibility goes to the Home Minister of the state and the police commissioner”, he asserted.
Drawing comparisons with large public events in other states, Sarma said crowd management failures in Bengal stood out. “After Zubeen Garg’s death, Guwahati’s roads were filled with around 10 lakh people for three days, but no mishap was reported. Post Malone’s function happened here peacefully. Around 50,000 people went there and no incident was reported. In Mumbai, the Women’s World Cup final was played and everything happened peacefully”, he said. “But West Bengal is a state where nothing is predictable. The VIP culture is at an extreme level there”. Sarma added that the incident should prompt introspection by the state leadership. “Messi is an idol for the whole world. Mamata Banerjee should introspect. Innocent people are subjected to atrocities every day in Bengal. This is a matter of concern”, he said.
(With Inputs from ANI)
