Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, apologised over severe mismanagement at the Salt Lake Stadium during footballer Lionel Messi’s visit.

The  Argentine footballer landed in Kolkata at 2:26 am and kicked off his India Tour’s first leg on Saturday morning by virtually unveiling his 70-feet-tall statue in the city.

The 38-year-old arrived at Salt Lake Stadium around 11:30 am, where he was immediately surrounded by political leaders, former footballers, and other members of the organising committee. As a result, the crowd failed to catch a proper glimpse of their icon.

Fans who waited for hours to see the legendary footballer at their home ground grew frustrated and panicked. 

Some lost their cool and hurled bottles and chairs inside the stadium. This chaos led to the deployment of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and prompted organisers to give it in writing that tickets would be refunded.

The situation became so messy that social media was flooded with reactions from angry fans and videos of vandalism at the stadium. Later, police launched an FIR and the chief organiser was arrested.

On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee, who could not make it to the event, apologised over the unpleasant situation. 

Taking to X, the head of the Bengal government wrote, “I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident.”

“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi,” her post read.

This was the first event in Messi’s three-day, four-city ‘GOAT India Tour 2025’.