[Chungraon = Associate Editor-in-Chief Dongseop David Yeo] Chaos broke loose in Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium last weekend on December 14th, as football’s top star, Lionel Messi, arrived in India as part of his G.O.A.T. tour. The tour had originally consisted of the football star visiting various Indian cities across his 3-day stay in India, along with fellow football players Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, all teammates from the American Major League Soccer (MLS) team, Inter Miami.
The reason behind the outrage was that fans were initially promised an immersive experience with Messi, with the star being scheduled to participate in events such as penalty shots and free kicks, along with cultural festivals showcasing India’s food, culture, and Bollywood stars. However, none of the promised events took place, with Messi only appearing on the pitch for 20-30 minutes surrounded by Indian politicians and celebrities, who obstructed the view of eager fans who had paid huge sums of money to get a chance to interact with Messi. Indian fans had travelled across the country and had paid upwards of ₹30,000 ($331.04 USD) for tickets, all to have their view of the star obstructed and promised events not delivered.
Premium tickets had also been offered as well, with some costing ₹1,000,000 ($11034.72 USD). These special tickets were offered for VIPs and offered a meet-and-greet experience with Messi, with photos and special access to the pitch. These discrepancies in prices segregated the working-class ticket holders who had been promised to see their favorite star, who had instead been ignored as the VIPs and special guests crowded around Messi to snag photos and conversations while the paying customers were left in the stands.
After Messi left the pitch, chaos broke loose, with the enraged fans invading the pitch, throwing chairs and bottles, and destroying stadium properties. The authorities immediately became involved in the incident, criticizing the lack of authority and crowd control from the state police officers who were stationed inside the stadium in an effort to maintain the crowd while ensuring the safety of those on the field.
The tour’s organizer, Satadru Dutta, was immediately detained by Indian state authorities and is being held responsible for the mismanagement of the event that caused so much damage to the fans and the country’s reputation. The Indian government has stepped up to take accountability, with Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, forming a special committee to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and recommend measures to prevent anything similar to Kolkata from happening in the following events in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and the nation’s capital, New Delhi.
The organization behind the event was prompted to refund all tickets to customers, and the organization and authorities have apologized to Messi for the disorganization, promising better security and crowd management at the upcoming events. Local news outlets also reported that “mild” police force had been used to disperse the crowd gathered outside of Messi’s hotel, and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) expressed their concern at the endangerment of the star and the people caused by the accident.
As Messi continues his tour across India, fans and the world are expecting improved management of events from the organization and accountability upheld by the nation and the responsible authorities.
/Dongseop David Yeo