Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday expressed deep concern over the severe mismanagement witnessed at an event held at the Yuba Bharati Stadium in Salt Lake, which had drawn thousands of football fans eager to catch a glimpse of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. The situation spiralled out of control after spectators, despite paying exorbitant ticket prices, failed to see the football icon, leading to widespread anger, vandalism and the throwing of bottles inside the stadium.
In a public statement, the Chief Minister said she was stunned and deeply saddened by the incident. She offered her apologies to sports lovers and fans, and announced the formation of an inquiry committee to conduct a thorough investigation into the episode. The committee will be headed by retired Justice Asim Kumar Roy and will include the State Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department. The panel has been tasked with examining the entire incident, fixing responsibility and recommending measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.
Jawed Shamim, the Additional Director General of Police (Law and order) said the main organiser of the event, Shatadru Dutta, was arrested in connection with the mismanagement and the ticker booking money would be refunded.
Messi arrived at the Yuba Bharati Stadium at 11:30 am. Smiling and acknowledging the enthusiasm of the football fans, the Argentine star initially appeared relaxed. However, soon after stepping out of his car, the situation became complicated as he was almost completely surrounded by ministers, officials and invited guests. Amid the rush to take photographs, Messi had little space to move.
Although security personnel formed a protective ring around him, Messi remained largely invisible to spectators in the galleries for nearly 20 minutes, causing deep disappointment among fans. Discontent soon spread across the stands, with chants of “We want Messi” echoing through the stadium. Ticket-holding spectators had hoped to rely on the stadium’s three giant screens, but even there Messi was not clearly visible.
During the introductions with former footballers from Mohun Bagan and Diamond Harbour, the crowd around Messi did not thin. Not only political leaders and ministers, but even members of the organising team crowded around him, leaving fans unable to catch even a brief glimpse of the footballer. Sports Minister Arup Biswas and chief organiser Shatadru Dutta repeatedly appealed over the microphone to restore order, but their efforts failed to calm the situation.
As tensions escalated, a baton charge was reportedly carried out inside the stadium in an attempt to control the crowd. Furious spectators voiced their frustration, saying, “We paid thousands of rupees for tickets and still couldn’t see Messi at all. Did we come here to see leaders and ministers? They must refund our money. Is this a joke?”
At around 11:52 am, Messi was escorted off the field. At that time, the Chief Minister, actor Shah Rukh Khan and former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly had not yet arrived at the venue. Messi’s departure triggered the peak of the spectators’ anger. Hoardings in the galleries were damaged and chairs were hurled onto the field. Witnesses alleged that there was no visible police presence in the galleries at that moment.
The combined frustration and anger of fans, who had paid heavily but failed to see their favourite footballer, further intensified the chaos, turning what was meant to be a celebratory sporting event into a scene of disorder and outrage.
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