Satadru Dutta spent 38 days in custody after VIP politicians stormed his Messi event, turned the pitch into a VIP lounge, and sparked a fan riot. The politicians faced no consequences. Five months later, Dutta reached his formal conclusion: he should not have brought Messi to Kolkata. Messi had reached the same conclusion 20 minutes in.
The GOAT Tour 2025 at Kolkata Salt Lake Stadium offered fans paying Rs 12,000-20,000 per ticket a meaningful encounter with Lionel Messi. What materialised instead was a pitch occupied by politicians including West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and accompanying VIP entourages who had not purchased tickets. Messi, reportedly visibly uncomfortable, was escorted out roughly 20 minutes into the event. Fans responded by throwing chairs and plastic bottles at the pitch, vandalizing goals, and storming the field. Organiser Satadru Dutta was arrested and spent 38 days in custody; the politicians who occupied the pitch faced no legal proceedings. On May 10, Dutta gave media his five-month post-mortem: I regret bringing Messi to Kolkata. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey warned separately that the incident has placed India bid for the 2036 Olympics in jeopardy. No minister has expressed comparable regret, as by all accounts their portion of the evening was excellent.