Kolkata: In a spectacle that turned from football frenzy to outright fiasco, Lionel Messi’s much-hyped G.O.A.T. Tour event at Salt Lake Stadium descended into chaos on Friday, leaving thousands of ecstatic fans in tears of frustration.
The Argentine legend, idolised by millions, barely graced the pitch for 10 minutes before a stampede-like disorder forced him to beat a hasty retreat amid flying water bottles and vandalised hoardings.
Ticket holders, who shelled out premium prices for a glimpse of the World Cup hero, were left high and dry, their dreams shattered by what critics are calling a monumental administrative blunder.
The evening’s pandemonium unfolded as over 50,000 supporters surged towards the venue, overwhelming security and entry points.
Eyewitnesses described a nightmarish scene: queues snaking endlessly, gates jammed shut, and irate crowds hurling projectiles in protest. Damages to the iconic stadium — a cradle of Indian football heritage — run into lakhs, with broken barriers and trampled banners symbolising the utter disarray.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on her way to the event, expressed profound shock and apologised publicly on social media. “I am deeply disturbed by this mismanagement,” she posted, announcing a high-level probe committee under retired Calcutta High Court Justice Ashish Kumar Roy. The panel, comprising top bureaucrats, will dissect lapses and recommend safeguards, underscoring the government’s resolve to prevent future embarrassments.
However, this gesture has ignited a political uproar. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya lambasted the TMC regime, dubbing Mamata’s regrets “crocodile tears” and accusing it of peddling “corruption and chaos” at the expense of Bengal’s football-loving populace. “She apologised to Messi but not to her own people, cheated by ministers and MLAs,” Malviya fumed on X, demanding the sacking of Sports Minister Arup Biswas and Urban Development Minister Sujit Bose, alongside FIRs against them and full refunds for aggrieved fans.
Congress echoed the outrage, branding the episode an “insult to the state’s sporting soul”.
As the dust settles, questions linger: was this a private agency’s sole folly, as TMC insists, or a damning indictment of state oversight? With Messi’s fleeting visit now a bitter memory, Bengal’s football faithfuls await not just accountability but a promise of events worthy of their unbridled passion.