Messi GOAT Tour organizer files police complaint against former Bangladeshi sports minister

Lionel Messi’s tour organizer Satadru Dutta has filed a police complaint against TMC leader and former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas and three others, including the state’s former top cop, claiming they were responsible for the chaos that unfolded at the Salt Lake Stadium last December and that he had been made a «scapegoat».

Dutta filed the complaint at the Bidhannagar South police station on Monday evening, in which he also named former DGP and TMC Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Kumar, the minister’s relatives and Kolkata Municipal Corporation councilor Juin Biswas and I&CA department secretary Shantanu Basu, and held them responsible for the chaos at the stadium.

The event organizer, who was subsequently arrested and spent 38 days in jail, requested police intervention, alleging unlawful encroachment on the field’s restricted security zones, collapse of perimeter control and disruption during the high-profile program held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, also known as Salt Lake Stadium, on December 13, 2025.

«My family and I were threatened with dire consequences if I opened my mouth. I had no option but to keep my mouth shut and accept the punishment they had decided for me. I would never have gathered the courage to file this complaint had there not been a change of guard in the state,» Dutta said. PTI.

Dutta filed his complaint just hours after the BJP government’s newly appointed sports minister Nisith Pramanik announced his decision to reopen the Messi case and order a fresh probe into the fiasco.

Lionel Messi’s ‘GOAT India Tour – Kolkata Edition’ ended in chaos and vandalism following the football superstar’s brief 20-minute appearance on the pitch, which included Biswas and his family spotted in close proximity to the World Cup-winning legend, blocking the view of spectators.

Fans, frustrated by limited visibility and a shortened program, destroyed stadium seats and stormed the field.

«Our goal from the very beginning was to restore the dignity of all those who were deceived in the ‘Messi fiasco’ – especially those who were humiliated and mistreated while attending the match. It has already been decided to reopen the file related to the Messi incident; moreover, the perpetrators behind this episode will be identified and brought to justice,» Pramanik told reporters.

Messi only appeared for around 20-22 minutes, which significantly reduced the event’s planned duration after he failed to complete a planned full lap of honor due to overcrowding and safety concerns.

After the chaos and intense criticism, Bis resigned as Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs in December 2025.

Dutta alleged that Biswas sabotaged the event by abusing his ministerial powers to allow unauthorized people onto the field and harass Messi, causing the football star to leave the venue and disappoint thousands of fans.

“The then Sports Minister of the Government of West Bengal, Shri Aroop Biswas, forced me to hand over to him around 22,000 free tickets (including VVIP, VIP, Regular) which were then sold in black at a higher rate.

“In addition, Aroop Bis repeatedly forced me to produce an additional 10,000 access passes, which would allow his associates to access the playing field in close proximity to Lionel Messi,” Dutta said in his complaint.

Dutta alleged that the minister and his team violated all safety protocols during the footballer’s presence on the field, despite previous deliberations and repeated warnings against this with the highest levels of the state police hierarchy.

“It further emerged that Shri Aroop Bis physically approached and held Lionel Messi during the live operational sequence of the program and insisted on unplanned photographs and interactions involving Shri Santanu Basu and other accompanying persons.

“The behavior and physical proximity caused visible discomfort and serious safety concerns for Lionel Messi and his international security team,” Dutta said in his complaint.

Referring to his statement on social media in the aftermath of the event, in which he said the ticket money would be refunded to the spectators, Dutta claimed it was not made of his own volition but “made under conditions of pressure, intimidation and coercion”.

“In other words, I was made a scapegoat for the misdeeds of the above-mentioned influential persons,” Dutta stated in his complaint.

Dutta said the complaint was the first step towards righting the «wrongs» done to him by those who «abused power and got away with it.»

«I plan to file two civil suits in the court, amounting to Rs. 50 crores each, against the former Sports Minister and others. The first would be compensation for the damage caused to me and the second a defamation suit for tarnishing my image,» Dutta said.

Published on May 19, 2026