US EditionMessi's Tour of India Gets Off to Chaotic Start with Fans Throwing Bottles
Fans vandalized Salt Lake Stadium after many ticket-holders said they could not see Messi in person or on screens, prompting an official apology and a planned inquiry.
- On Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, Lionel Messi's much-hyped GOAT India Tour opened in Kolkata with chaotic scenes at Salt Lake Stadium.
- The Times of India reported many ticket-holders said they waited for hours yet failed to see Messi in person or on the stadium's big screens.
- Fans ran onto the field, vandalized stadium chairs, rode goalposts and made obscene gestures in protest, while earlier Saturday Messi remotely unveiled a 21-meter statue in Kolkata.
- The chief minister apologized to Messi and to paying fans and promised a formal enquiry, with Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister, saying a committee will conduct a detailed enquiry to fix responsibility.
- The itinerary takes Messi from Kolkata to Hyderabad and then Mumbai before ending the three-day GOAT India Tour in New Delhi on Monday.
110 Articles
110 Articles
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey Feels Salt Lake Stadium Fiasco During Messi's Visit Could Dent India's Soft Power as It Aims to Host 2036 Olympics
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Messi's Kolkata leg of the 'GOAT Tour 2025' ended in chaotic mode on Saturday. While the moment was supposed to be a moment of union between the World Cup-winning superstar and a football-crazy state, the presence of VIPs and politicians on the pitch with Messi sent fans into frenzy as they could barely catch a glimpse of the footballer for whom they had paid their hard-earned money. They al…
Messi event chaos: Inquiry panel reach Kolkata venue to carry out inspection
Kolkata: Members of a committee, set up by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to inquire about the chaos during Argentine football icon Lionel Messi’s event in Salt Lake stadium a day ago, reached the venue on Sunday to carry out an on-ground inspection, officials said. The panel members, headed by retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, will conduct the probe, they said. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary N…
They couldn't see Messi.
Messi's Tour Of India Gets Off To Wild Start As Fans Destroy A Soccer Stadium
Lionel Messi isn't just one of the biggest-name athletes on the planet; he's one of the biggest-name anythings on the planet. So, you can understand why throngs of people showed up for his multi-day tour of India.And you can also understand why fans were monumentally pissed when they didn't get to see very much of him.According to the Associated Press, the Argentinian superstar is on a quick tour through India called the "GOAT India Tour." The p…
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