Kolkata Messi-ed: Marred by poor crowd management and chaos

Lionel Messi’s Kolkata visit turned chaotic at Salt Lake Stadium as poor crowd management left fans frustrated. Bottles were hurled, seats vandalised and organisers criticised, overshadowing the Argentine star’s brief appearance during his GOAT Tour in India

New Delhi: Kolkata knows how to worship footballing gods. On Saturday afternoon, that devotion turned into disillusionment as Lionel Messi’s much-anticipated appearance ended not in applause, but in anger and chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium.

The city’s long-awaited tryst with the Argentine icon quickly unravelled when Messi, in India as part of his GOAT Tour, was forced to cut short his lap of honour at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan following an uncontrollable surge in the crowd. Frustration boiled over, bottles were thrown, and security officials hurried him off the pitch within minutes.

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Many spectators, including those who had paid premium prices for tickets, complained that they never managed to see Messi — neither directly nor on the stadium’s giant screens — despite waiting for hours. A heavy security cordon and the presence of politicians and dignitaries occupying prime viewing areas further restricted visibility, intensifying frustration among the crowd.

As tempers flared, the situation inside the stadium deteriorated. Banners were vandalised, seats were damaged, and chairs were thrown onto the ground, exposing serious lapses in crowd control at one of the country’s largest sporting venues. Outside, angry supporters told the media that Messi had remained on the field for barely a few minutes before being ushered away.

The backlash spilled onto social media, where fans slammed organisers for what they described as “shambolic planning” and “complete mismanagement.”

“We paid thousands just to watch politicians take selfies while Messi disappeared in minutes,” one fan wrote on X.

“This is not crowd trouble — this is organiser failure,” posted another.

 

Several fans pointed out that this was not the first time such an event had descended into chaos.

“Every big sporting event follows the same script. When will we finally learn?” read one widely shared post.

Earlier in the day, Messi had virtually unveiled a 70-foot iron statue at the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club in Lake Town — an imposing tribute depicting him holding the FIFA World Cup trophy. Completed in just 40 days, the statue drew admiration and applause from supporters across the city.

Yet the turmoil at Salt Lake Stadium cast a shadow over what was meant to be a unifying moment for Indian football fans, once again exposing the gap between passion in the stands and professionalism behind the scenes.