Lionel Messi’s much-hyped visit to Kolkata on Saturday, December 13, turned out to be a chaotic and disappointing experience for both the fans and the football legend himself. Thousands of fans had come to Yuva Bharti Krirangan with high expectations, but many were disappointed as they could not even get a proper look at Lionel Messi.
Fans had paid expensive ticket prices, starting from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, in the hope of seeing the football legend up close at the Salt Lake Stadium. Messi arrived at the stadium at around 11:15 am with his teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul as part of the GOAT Tour.
Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata creates chaos in packed Salt Lake Stadium
As soon as he entered, the Salt Lake Stadium erupted in loud cheers and chants of “Messi, Messi”. However, the situation quickly turned sour. Messi was surrounded by heavy security, officials and special guests, blocking the view for most fans sitting in the stands.
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And the disappointment was compounded when they could barely see Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain. Messi was supposed to take a complete tour of the stadium, but the increasing chaos did not allow this to happen. He stayed at the Salt Lake Stadium only for about 30 minutes.
As things started getting out of control, organizers and security staff pulled Messi out through the tunnel to ensure his safety. The event had to be cut short, leading to the cancellation of the Facilitation Ceremony, which was expected to be attended by many big names including Shah Rukh Khan, Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Bottles thrown, chairs broken amid chaos during Lionel Messi’s Kolkata visit
The fans became angry as soon as Messi left the field. Bottles, water packets and even chairs were thrown inside the stadium. Some fans ran onto the field and damaged the setup and umbrellas erected for the event. Several chairs in the stands were broken, and loud noises were heard all around the stadium in Kolkata.
Videos shared on social media showed fans breaking seats, tearing banners and throwing objects at officials and police. Fans said they were disappointed not only because Messi left early but also because the officials did not manage the event properly.
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Here’s how the cricket world reacted to the whole mess:
Chaao as per hope.. https://t.co/ZM8eqNlJAY
-Shrivatsa Goswami (@Shrivatsa1) 13 December 2025
Why did the Bengal Sports Minister need to abandon his man? Why does every big event get destroyed in India? https://t.co/mxQ5fMCzgt
-Abhishek Tripathi/Abhishek Tripathi (@abishereporter) 13 December 2025
No one feels ashamed. It was messed with the Y. People paid Rs 10,000 and didn’t even get a glimpse of it #Lionel Messi ,
He was there on the field for 22 minutes and West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas was seen hijacking the event as usual.
photo courtesy @pushan2301 #Have some Shame pic.twitter.com/yg0Hwb6gSI– Kushan Sarkar (@kushansarkar) 13 December 2025
So Messi was on the field for 15-20 minutes?
– Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) 13 December 2025
Complete chaos broke out at Salt Lake Stadium as fans expressed their anger #messi #goatindiatour pic.twitter.com/iEBZOiXh6n
– Angshuman Roy (@pushan2301) 13 December 2025
Angry fans vandalized the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and threw bottles.
– They are unhappy with the fact that Messi came only for 10 minutes and they could not even see him properly. pic.twitter.com/aTu0xVETge
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) 13 December 2025
Angry fans threw bottles and chairs from the stands at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. (ANI).
– Fans are disappointed that Lionel Messi was seen only for 10 minutes and they could not see him properly. pic.twitter.com/dKhjtaGStO
– Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) 13 December 2025
Months of planning.
Surviving on savings.
Woke up early in the morning on the day of the incident.
Standing in line with the whole family…
And this is what happened.
The organizers of Messi’s GOAT Tour in India have cheated the fans.
unacceptable.#messi #GOATTour #Kolkata #FansDeserveBetter #Messi𓃵 https://t.co/086svhJhqI– AnkanKar (@AnkanKar) 13 December 2025
Everyone who briefed us on the ground over the last two days said one thing in one voice – ‘Clearly, this event is not for fans.’
In a day, Messi is being taken from Kolkata to Hyderabad giving priority to several VIP events, and these fan events…
– Lavanya (@lav_narayanan) 13 December 2025
Shouldn’t there have been a match? https://t.co/NbRMzjsCtb
– Manya (@CSKian716) 13 December 2025
Satadru Dutta and the organizers, you will not see heaven. You played with the fans’ emotions and scammed everyone huge with ridiculous prices and then didn’t even let people get a proper glimpse of Messi. You should be ashamed!!! pic.twitter.com/v7IPCTZwlo
– Sohoom (@AwaaraHoon) 13 December 2025
pathetic! pic.twitter.com/EV6Iz6B1j5
– Koustav Sengupta (@KoustavOfficial) 13 December 2025
Messi’s brief 5-minute appearance led to chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium in West Bengal as angry fans turned violent, throwing bottles, belts, chairs and vandalizing hoardings.#Messi𓃵 #goat #MessiInIndia
pic.twitter.com/PwRzP7BDeD– sarcastic (@sarcastic_us) 13 December 2025
#MessiInIndia
Messi came for 5 minutes and went back
People turned violent in Salt Lake Stadium
Bottles, belts, chairs were thrown and hoardings were broken.#Messi𓃵 #goattourindia pic.twitter.com/RsURsDuo1c– Uttam Raghab (@jnrVENOM) 13 December 2025
Even while leaving, Messi, Suarez and De Paul looked uncomfortable as the crowd got closer to them. During his short stay at the stadium, Messi greeted fans, met Mohun Bagan official Srinjoy Bose and signed his coat. Sports Minister Arup Biswas was also present.
Now, West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose has sought a detailed report from the state government on the management of the programme. The chaos and damage at the stadium has raised big questions over crowd control and planning.