A day after chaos unfolded at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium during football icon Lionel Messi's first stop of his 'GOAT Tour 2025', social media continues to be flooded with accounts from disappointed fans who spent thousands, some even lakhs, to see their favourite football star but did not even get a glimpse of him. Several viral videos show furious fans taking away chairs, carpets and even flower pots from the Salt Lake stadium to make up for their loss.
"I paid Rs 10,000 for a ticket," a man said, carrying a rolled-up turf carpet on his shoulder. "I couldn't see Messi. We could only see the politicians that we anyway see around the year. I am taking this with me, we'll practice (football) at home on it."
Another fan was seen wearing a Messi jersey while carrying two flower pots away. "Will gift them to my wife," he said in a viral video.
As Messi continued with his tour and visited the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday, where Messi appeared quite comfortable on the field, passing the ball around with teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, as Telangana CM Revath Reddy also joined in. Soon comparisons were also drawn with fans sharing how well the second event was organised. "See how Hyderabad conducted it, I could see Messi very well," commented Instagram user (@gouthamrejeev) Goutham Rejeev.
Headlines in Argentina over chaos in Kolkata
La Nacion, an Argentine daily, described the chaos in a news piece with a headline being, "They wrecked the stadium. Messi in India: he left early due to the chaos and fans causing incidents."
Another headline from the paper's official website captured the pain of a commoner fan, who had spent his hard-earned money to see Messi live, saying, "He only came for 10 minutes." The anger of fans in India who paid over USD100 for Messi and didn't get to see him." The headline of another story with some multimedia content also said, "Messi in India: a giant statue, De Paul and Suarez, and the tour organiser in jail".
Jawed Shamim, Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order, confirmed the arrest of the event organiser while speaking to reporters in Kolkata. "There is normalcy now. The second part is the investigation; the FIR has been lodged, and the chief organiser has been arrested... I'm telling you, they (organisers) are promising that they will return (ticket fee to fans). We will see how it can be done," he said.
Read more: Who is Satadru Dutta - The man behind Lionel Messi’s India GOAT Tour
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.
Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.
