Argentine football icon Lionel Messi is on a three-day GOAT tour to India ahead of his defense of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Published December 13, 2025
Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India got off to a rocky start on Saturday, with angry fans throwing bottles and attempting to vandalize the stadium as many were unable to do more than catch a glimpse of their hero.
The Times of India reported that many ticket holders said they were unable to see Messi in person or on the stadium’s large screens despite waiting for hours.
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Fans threw things, tore up seats and invaded the pitch after Messi’s scheduled 45-minute stay lasted just 20 minutes. Ticket prices for the event started at about 3,500 rupees (about $38.65), more than half the average weekly income in India, but one fan said he paid $130.
West Bengal Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar said the event’s chief organizer, Satadul Dutta, had been arrested.
“We have already detained the main organizers,” Rajeev Kumar told reporters. “We are taking action to ensure this mismanagement goes unpunished.
“He has already promised in writing that tickets sold for the event should be refunded,” he added.
Tour organizers did not respond to requests for comment.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has apologized to the Argentine soccer star for the “mismanagement” of the event.
“I am extremely upset and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed at Salt Lake Stadium today,” Banerjee wrote on social media, while also apologizing to fans who had paid for tickets and were expecting the event.
Banerjee said a committee would be formed to “conduct a detailed investigation into the incident, correct responsibility and recommend measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.”
Messi’s three-day GOAT India Tour took the World Cup winner from Kolkata to Hyderabad to Mumbai and was scheduled to end in New Delhi on Monday.
He was joined by long-time teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrygo de Paul.
Earlier on Saturday, Messi “unveiled” a 21-meter (70-foot) tall statue of himself in Kolkata by remote control.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter once described India as the “sleeping giant” of soccer, but the sport in the country has faced a number of problems in recent years.
India’s top soccer competition, the Indian Super League (ISL), is on the verge of collapse due to disputes between the federation and its commercial partners.
ISL side Bengaluru FC has stopped paying salaries to first-team players and staff following the disruption.
The 2018-19 ISL champions said in a statement in August that they had taken this decision “in view of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Indian Super League season.”
Messi and his Argentina teammates will defend their crown at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
