Overview
- Messi’s brief, obstructed appearance at Salt Lake Stadium triggered unrest as fans hurled bottles, ripped seats and breached barricades before police restored order with additional forces.
- West Bengal police detained the chief organiser, Satadru Dutta, lodged an FIR, and a Kolkata court later denied him bail, remanding him to 14 days in police custody.
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to Messi and fans and set up a high-level inquiry led by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray to fix responsibility for the mismanagement.
- Spectators who paid between roughly ₹4,000 and ₹20,000 complained they could not see Messi due to VIP crowds on the pitch, while organisers pledged refunds and the AIFF said it had no role in the private event.
- The GOAT India Tour is proceeding to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi as political criticism intensifies over VIP access, crowd control failures and damage to the publicly owned stadium.