The much-anticipated visit of football legend Lionel Messi to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium in December turned into a major controversy, leading to police investigations, political fallout, and startling revelations about the event's finances and security lapses. The main organiser, Satadru Dutta, arrested on December 13, has provided crucial details to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) about what went wrong.
Messi's Discomfort and Premature Exit
During prolonged questioning by the SIT, Satadru Dutta disclosed that Lionel Messi was deeply "unhappy with being touched or hugged" by the crowd that surrounded him on the ground. Dutta told investigators that Messi "did not like being touched on the back or being hugged", a sentiment that had been communicated in advance by his foreign security team.
Despite repeated public announcements asking the crowd to restrain themselves, the pleas had no impact. "The manner in which Messi was surrounded and embraced was completely unacceptable to the World Cup-winning footballer," Dutta stated during his interrogation on Friday. This overwhelming situation led Messi to leave the venue before his full scheduled time was over, disappointing thousands of fans who had bought expensive tickets.
Political Fallout and Security Lapses Under Scrutiny
The event's chaos had immediate political repercussions. West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, who was seen near Messi during the event, faced intense criticism. He was accused of using his influence to grant access to the ground for relatives and personal contacts. Amid the growing scandal, Biswas resigned from his position as sports minister while the investigation continues.
The SIT, comprising senior IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar, and Muralidhar, is probing multiple angles. A core focus is understanding how a massive crowd breached security to access the ground area. Dutta revealed a critical detail: initially, only 150 ground passes were distributed, but this number was later tripled after a "very influential person" arrived at the stadium and "overpowered him". Investigators are examining if this sudden increase directly caused the crowd control failure.
Revealing the Financial Scale of the Tour
Dutta's interrogation also shed light on the enormous financial scale of Messi's India visit. He informed investigators that the total expenditure for the tour was ₹100 crore. Out of this, a staggering ₹89 crore was paid to Lionel Messi himself, while ₹11 crore was paid as tax to the Indian government.
The funding model involved 30% from sponsors and another 30% generated through ticket sales for the Kolkata and Hyderabad events. Meanwhile, the SIT discovered more than ₹20 crore in frozen bank accounts belonging to Dutta. He claimed this money came from ticket sales and sponsorships, a claim authorities are currently verifying. During raids at his residence, SIT officers confiscated multiple items related to the case.
The aftermath of the event saw angry fans vandalising sections of the Salt Lake Stadium after the chaos made Messi nearly invisible from the stands. The SIT continues to investigate the roles of organisers, officials, and the sequence of security lapses that turned a celebratory event into a national controversy.
