Satadru Dutta, the promoter and organizer of Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour 2025, was arrested at the Kolkata airport on Saturday while on his way to Hyderabad, West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar confirmed. He added that the organizer has submitted a written guarantee promising refunds to all ticket buyers.
Kumar said a government-appointed committee will investigate every aspect of the event, including whether mismanagement contributed to the site’s collapse. «We have convinced the organizer; he has committed in writing that the tickets sold will be refunded. The situation is now under control. We have arrested the main organizer and ensured that this mismanagement does not go unpunished and that fans are adequately compensated,» he said.
Lionel Messi with main organizer of the GOAT tour Satadru Dutta. | Photo credit: IG/satadrutravel
Lionel Messi with main organizer of the GOAT tour Satadru Dutta. | Photo credit: IG/satadrutravel
The Kolkata leg of the GOAT Tour is expected to last around four hours from 9 am with Shah Rukh Khan among the guests. However, the actor earlier met Messi during the virtual unveiling of a 70-foot statue of the Argentine icon in the presence of Bidhannagar MP Sujit Bose.
Messi later reached the Salt Lake Stadium with Inter Miami teammates Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez. Accompanying them were West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, organizer Satadru Dutta, Mohun Bagan officials Srinjoy Bose and Debasish Dutta, and a large police detail.
As Messi walked the ground to greet spectators, the crowd continued to press forward and police struggled to maintain the perimeter. A coaching clinic with children from all districts of West Bengal was planned, but as the number of players on the field increased, Messi left the venue early.
Once he left, spectators stormed the ground, throwing water bottles, pulling down posters and damaging seats, with many expressing their anger after charging Rs. 20,000 for entry.
Published on December 13, 2025
