Messi in Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday ordered a high-level enquiry after chaos erupted during football star Lionel Messi’s appearance at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Banerjee expressed regret over the mismanagement and apologised to Messi, his fans and sports lovers. The unrest occurred after fans, unhappy with crowd management and Messi’s brief appearance, allegedly vandalised parts of the stadium. The state government announced the formation of an enquiry committee to determine responsibility and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
In a social media post, Banerjee said she was deeply disturbed by the events at the stadium. She said she was on her way to the venue to attend the event with thousands of sports lovers. " I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi," the Chief Minister said in her post.
CM Banerjee said the enquiry committee would be chaired by Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary of Home and Hill Affairs Department as members. "I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident. I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members," she added.
The Chief Minister further stated that the committee would conduct a detailed probe into the incident. "The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers," Banerjee said.
Fans criticised ministers and politicians for monopolising Messi’s time and failing to deliver promised attractions, including actor Shah Rukh Khan. Speaking to ANI, one fan said Messi was at the venue for only 10 minutes and leaders surrounded him, preventing fans from seeing the footballer. Another fan said he paid Rs 12,000 for a ticket but could not see Messi properly.
Earlier, Messi virtually inaugurated a 70-foot-tall statue of himself at Lake Town in Kolkata. The event was held along with West Bengal Minister and Sree Bhumi Sporting Club President Sujit Bose. The statue, made of iron, depicts Messi holding the FIFA World Cup trophy to mark Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph.
Messi arrived in Kolkata on Saturday morning to an overwhelming reception from fans across the city. Fans had gathered across Kolkata from early morning to catch a glimpse of the football legend.