"we were not even able to see his face."
Lionel Messi’s tour of India descended into chaos on December 13 after unrest broke out at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata.
Fans ripped out stadium seats and threw them onto the pitch following Messi’s brief appearance at the venue.
Lionel Messi is in India as part of his ‘GOAT’ tour, which includes concerts, youth football clinics, a Padel tournament and charitable initiatives.
The Argentine is scheduled to attend events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi during the visit.
According to Indian media outlets, the 2022 World Cup winner walked around the pitch waving to fans but was tightly surrounded.
He left the stadium around 20 minutes after arriving.
Video footage showed fans throwing torn seats and other objects onto the field and athletics track.
Several people who had climbed over a fence surrounding the pitch were seen hurling objects.
One fan at the stadium said: “Only leaders and actors were surrounding Messi… Why did they call us then?
“We have got a ticket for 12,000 rupees [$132.51, £99], but we were not even able to see his face.”
Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal, a state with a long football tradition alongside Kerala and Goa.
Football has historically enjoyed strong support in these regions despite cricket’s national dominance.
Argentine legend Diego Maradona visited Kolkata twice and unveiled a statue of himself there in 2017.
The unveiling took place in front of thousands of fans celebrating his World Cup legacy.
Messi previously played at the Salt Lake stadium in 2011 when Argentina beat Venezuela 1-0.
Earlier on Saturday, he virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself in the city.
Angry fans vandalising and throwing bottles at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
– They’re unhappy as Messi just visited for 10 minutes and they couldn’t even see him properly. pic.twitter.com/aTu0xVETge
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 13, 2025
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to Messi and ordered an investigation into the incident.
Banerjee wrote on X: “I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake stadium.
“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident.”
“I am constituting an enquiry committee… the committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.”
During his visit, Lionel Messi also posed with Shah Rukh Khan, with the picture going viral.
However, the chaos in Kolkata has overshadowed what was meant to be an iconic appearance.
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