Messi event fiasco will affect Bengal for 50 years: AIFF chief Chaubey

Indian Football Federation President and BJP leader Kalyan Chaubey on Sunday alleged that the chaos and vandalism during football superstar Lionel Messi’s event at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will have major consequences and damage Kolkata’s reputation for more than 50 years.

The opening match of Messi’s four-city ‘GOAT India Tour 2025’ in Kolkata descended into chaos on Saturday morning due to poor crowd management and security lapses, with the Argentine superstar surrounded and pushed by selfie-seeking politicians and VIPs.

As a result, Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, completed the program in 20 minutes and returned to his hotel before heading to Hyderabad later in the evening for the second stop of the tour.

The curtailed event caused unrest among sections of the crowd, with angry spectators spending thousands of rupees to attend the program and vandalizing the stadium, which was littered with broken seats, damaged canopies and water bottles strewn all over the field.

Describing the event as “very unfortunate” for a city long considered the Mecca of Indian football, Chaubey said: “When an incident like this happens, it gets noticed internationally.

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“Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the greatest footballers in the world and are followed by millions of people around the world,” he said during a media interaction.

«Football is played in 211 countries. There is no country in the world where football is not played; even on the smallest islands, football is played. Whenever these two go anywhere, the world media follows them and follows their every move.»

Chaubey said the immediate impact was borne by fans who spent large amounts of money to attend the event, but warned that the long-term consequences could be much more damaging at a time when India is trying to brand itself as a global sporting destination.

“This is not a loss for just one person or any political party; it is a loss for Bengal and for the entire country.

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«If India bids for an international competition in West Bengal today, this event will be a hindrance. It is not just about today when the event cannot be held properly; its impact will be felt in Bengal for 50 years.»

The AIFF president noted that Kolkata has successfully hosted legendary players and major football events in the past, citing visits by icons like Pele, Diego Maradona, Oliver Kahn and Lothar Matthaus, among others.

«All those programs were carried out with dignity. What happened yesterday at Salt Lake Stadium was avoidable. For Bengal and Calcutta, this will be remembered for a long time.

“India will host the Commonwealth Games in 2030. Sports is soft power, with football at the top, and this incident has given the country a bad name in 211 footballing countries,” Chaubey said.

«I think we should have discussed these technical issues. We should have followed the do’s and don’ts and the rules so that the program could be implemented smoothly, as we have seen in the past,» he said.

While Kolkata took a reality check, Messi’s Saturday evening fixture in Hyderabad and the third leg of the tour in Mumbai on Sunday went smoothly and ended on a positive note.

Messi will conclude his visit to India on Monday in New Delhi, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Published on December 14, 2025