Kolkata’s Messi fiasco not first for Shatadru Dutta; Pelé, Maradona events too faced backlash over mismanagement

Credit: @MohunBaganHub (X)

Shatadru Dutta, who describes himself as a sports entrepreneur and influencer, is now facing serious trouble with the law. On Sunday, he was booed by angry fans of Argentine football star Lionel Messi as police took him to a lock-up in Bidhannagar.

The reaction came after chaos broke out at Salt Lake Stadium, where thousands of fans were upset over Messi’s very brief appearance at an event organised by Dutta.

While many fans blamed him for poor arrangements, people from the event management and sports circles say this was not the first time his events had faced problems. According to them, Dutta’s career has seen several instances of mismanaged high-profile sports events.

Dutta first came into the spotlight in 2012 when he organised a match between Brazil Masters and Indian Masters at Salt Lake Stadium. Just before the match began, a senior goalkeeper from Colombia allegedly refused to play after not receiving full payment, The Indian Express reported.

In 2015, Dutta organised a visit by football legend Pelé to Kolkata. While that event also had issues, they did not attract much public attention.

However, things changed in 2017 when Diego Maradona visited the city. “When he brought Maradona, the mismanagement was for all to see. The Golden Boy was mobbed by a huge crowd,” The Indian Express quoted an official of a leading football club in Kolkata, as saying.

Despite these incidents, Dutta continued to organise events featuring global football stars. His latest and most controversial event involved Lionel Messi, promoted as “A Shatadru Dutta Initiative”.

According to the report, Dutta had claimed to have signed a deal worth around Rs 100 crore to bring Messi to four Indian cities, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. However, the police say they are still trying to confirm the details of the agreement.

Senior police officers said they are verifying which company signed the contract with Messi’s representatives. It is also being checked whether “A Shatadru Dutta Initiative” was directly involved in the financial transaction. Officials added that the investigation is at an early stage and the financial details are still unclear.

Dutta was arrested on Saturday after chaos erupted at Salt Lake Stadium. Fans, angry over not being able to see Messi properly, vandalised property and clashed with security personnel, forcing police to step in.

Born and raised in Rishra in Hooghly district, Dutta was not always interested in football. He began his professional life in Wealth Management and Investment Banking, working with a private bank. In 2011, he quit his job to enter the event management business, focusing mainly on sports events.

People close to him say his love for football grew over the years. He even named his only son Diego, after football legend Diego Maradona. Dutta gradually built a presence in Kolkata’s sports circles.

His association with well-known sports personalities helped him gain visibility and credibility. He also used social media to promote his image, often posting photos with famous athletes. At present, he has around 6,000 followers on Instagram and over 16,000 on Facebook.

He also served as an adviser to Project Mahadeva, a grassroots football programme in Maharashtra launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and actor Tiger Shroff.

On Sunday, a Bidhannagar court rejected Dutta’s bail plea and sent him to 14 days of police custody.