Messi's Kolkata tour chaos: Bengal cops detains organiser; tickets to be refunded

NEW DELHI: West Bengal Police on Saturday detained the main organiser of an event in Kolkata's Salt Lake stadium after chaos erupted over Argentine football star Lionel Messi’s brief appearance.

During a press briefing, Kolkata DGP Rajeev Kumar said that organisers will refund tickets to disappointed spectators.

“We have already detained the main organiser. We are taking action to ensure this mismanagement does not go unpunished,” he said.




"Peace has to be restored immediately. That has been taken care of. Traffic is normal. People have all gone back home. The incident has been localised and limited to Salt Lake Stadium. It's a big incident. We are on the job and will ensure that whoever is responsible for this thing that has happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished and all kinds of action will be taken against the concerned authorities," he added.

Satadru Datta was detained for alleged mismanagement of the event from the Kolkata airport where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.

Chaos erupted at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata as thousands of fans protested after failing to get a clear glimpse of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi during a much-hyped event, prompting police to baton-charge and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to order a high-level enquiry.

What was billed as a marquee football spectacle turned into anger and disorder as Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated despite many having paid hefty sums for tickets.

Accompanied by long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentine teammate Rodrigo De Paul, Messi, the World Cup-winning captain, arrived at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan around 11.30 am.

Meanwhile, chief minister Mamata Banerjee apologized to Lionel Messi and thousands of fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the football icon.

In a post on X, Banerjee said "I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi.

"I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident. I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional chief secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members," she wrote.

"The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers," she added further.

(This is a developing story)
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