Chaos at Messi's visit to India! » Tribunes destroyed + Prime Minister's reaction: “I'm shocked”
Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Saturday, December 13, 2025, 2:34 p.m. / Updated Saturday, December 13, 2025, 2:35 p.m.
Lionel Messi's visit to India was marred by incidents in Calcutta, where riots broke out at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday during his brief public appearance, where, among others, unveiled a 21-meter tall statue.
Thousands of angry supporters stormed the pitch, with organizers accused of poor crowd control and prioritizing VIP access, while thousands of ticket-holding fans were unable to see the footballer.
PHOTO. Shocking scenes at Messi's visit to India
The Argentinian footballer arrived in the city in the early hours of the morning as part of the 'GOAT India Tour 2025' and entered the stadium accompanied by Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul.
Thousands of fans from different parts of India gathered in the stands, but most did not get to see Messi as he and his entourage were immediately surrounded by organizers, officials and football club representatives trying to get photos and autographs. Because of this, fans in the stands were left without the opportunity to see the football star, which caused discontent and chants: “We want Messi!”
Messi left the stadium for security reasons before the arrival of the Prime Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal (whose capital is Calcutta), Mamata Banerjee, and actor Shah Rukh Khan. Soon after, riots broke out. The fans started tearing the seats from the stands and throwing them onto the field, then they entered the pitch, tore down and set fire to the temporary structures installed in the stadium.
Organizers were accused of poor crowd control, so thousands of ticket-holding fans were unable to see the footballer. More than 80,000 tickets have been sold, many reportedly costing more than $100. These sold out within minutes as Messi is extremely popular in India.
The police tried to calm the crowd, but were outnumbered, leading to general chaos that lasted for several minutes.Law enforcement attacked those who invaded the field with batons.
Shortly after the incident, Mamata Banerjee, the Prime Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, posted a message apologizing to Messi for the incidents during the visit.
“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement we witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was heading to the stadium to attend the event, along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to see their favorite footballer, Lionel Messi.
I sincerely apologize to Lionel Messi, as well as all sports lovers and his fans, for this unfortunate incident“, she declared on her X account.
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This is Messi's second visit to Calcutta. The first time was in the city 14 years ago, in 2011, when there was a friendly match between Argentina and Venezuela.
On the same day, he unveiled a 21-meter statue of him holding the FIFA World Cup trophy. He is scheduled to visit four cities before leaving the country on Monday, with Hyderabad the next city on his itinerary.
Lionel Messi has a 21-meter statue in Calcutta / Photo: Imago
