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Football fans affected by the chaos surrounding Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata are set to receive a major relief, with West Bengal Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari promising full refunds for 33,000 ticket holders.
The announcement came at a special event marking India’s National Sports Day. Adhikari said he had already initiated the internal process to return the money paid by fans who bought tickets for the event at Yuva Bharati Stadium but were unable to properly enjoy it.
Messi’s much-anticipated “GOAT India Tour” stop in Kolkata on December 13, 2025, featuring Messi, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, descended into chaos amid severe mismanagement.
Fans who had paid Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000 for tickets faced major inconvenience inside the stadium and later demanded refunds.
Speaking at an event marking the birth anniversary of Indian hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, Adhikari said the 33,000 sports fans who paid for tickets deserved to get their money back and expressed hope that the refund process would be completed successfully.
The chaos led to political and administrative consequences. Former West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas later resigned, while Bidhannagar Deputy Commissioner Anish Kumar was dismissed. Event organiser Shatadru Dutta was also arrested by Kolkata Police over allegations of mismanagement.
After spending 38 days in jail before securing bail, Dutta accused the then government of responsibility for the fiasco. He claimed that the organisers were not responsible and blamed the then sports minister and senior administrative officials for the disorder.
