During an event connected to Argentine football star Lionel Messi on Saturday, Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata descended into chaos as irate spectators started hurling chairs and bottles from the stands. Fans claim that when a sizable portion of the audience realized they would not be able to see Messi well despite having paid for expensive tickets, tensions erupted. Security guards intervened after irate onlookers were observed tossing items from the exhibit.
According to news agency ANI, Messi was compelled to leave the stadium early due to the disturbance. A fan, who claimed to have paid ₹12,000 for a ticket said angril, “Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi…Why did they call us then… We have got a ticket for 12 thousand, but we were not even able to see his face…”
Another quoted, “Absolutely terrible event. He came for just 10 minutes. All the leaders and ministers surrounded him. We couldn’t see anything. He didn’t take a single kick or a single penalty. They said they would bring Shah Rukh Khan too. They didn’t bring anyone. He came for 10 minutes and left. So much money, emotions, and time wasted. We couldn’t see anything…”
Fans gave Messi a heartfelt greeting as he arrived in Kolkata early on Saturday morning. The Argentine icon’s arrival caused a great deal of excitement around the city, with people congregating at various sites in the hopes of seeing the legendary football player. West Bengal, which is well-known for having a strong football culture, showed up in big numbers.
But inside the stadium, expectations soon gave way to frustration. A number of fans expressed dissatisfaction with inadequate crowd control, poor visibility, and unclear guidelines regarding the audience’s proximity to the main player.
The event was disrupted as the atmosphere deteriorated into chaos due to growing impatience. In order to control the situation and guarantee Messi’s safe departure from the site, security personnel moved quickly. Regarding the injuries or damage sustained during the incident, neither the authorities nor the event organizers have yet released an official statement.
