Massive chaos erupted at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday after Argentine football legend Lionel Messi arrived for a felicitation event, triggering widespread anger among fans who were unable to see their idol despite paying high ticket prices.

The situation spiralled out of control as frustrated spectators hurled bottles and chairs onto the field, broke gallery seating, and tore down fencing to storm the arena. Police attempts to disperse the crowd using batons failed, forcing them to use tear gas to regain control.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was en route to attend the event, was compelled to return midway due to the deteriorating situation.

Later, Banerjee issued a public apology and announced the formation of an inquiry committee to investigate the mismanagement.

“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium,” she wrote on X. “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.”

She added, “I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans for this unfortunate incident.”

The Chief Minister said an inquiry committee headed by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Hill Affairs) as members, would probe the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend steps to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Messi arrived at the stadium at around 11:30 am, accompanied by footballers Luis Suárez and Rodrigo de Paul. While the Argentine star appeared visibly moved by the enthusiasm of Indian fans, the arrangements quickly fell apart.

As soon as Messi stepped onto the field, he was surrounded by a group of nearly 70–80 people, including ministers and officials, leaving him barely any space to walk. Many were seen crowding him to take photographs and videos, completely blocking the view for spectators in the stands.

Fans in the galleries, who had come solely to see Messi, were forced to rely on the stadium’s giant screens. Even as former players from Mohun Bagan and Diamond Harbour were introduced, the crowd around Messi did not disperse. Despite repeated announcements by Sports Minister Arup Biswas and chief organiser Shatrughan Dutta, the situation failed to normalise.

During the roughly 16–17 minutes Messi was present on the field, he was not visible even once from most sections of the gallery. Chants of “We want Messi!” echoed through the stadium as frustration mounted.

At around 11:52 am, amid growing unrest, Messi was escorted out of the stadium. By then, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Shah Rukh Khan, and Sourav Ganguly had not yet arrived.

Soon after, anger among fans turned violent. Hoardings were damaged, chairs were uprooted and flung onto the field, and bottles rained down from the stands. Thousands of spectators breached fencing and rushed onto the ground, waving flags and shouting slogans.

Police attempted multiple baton charges, but crowds repeatedly regrouped and re-entered the field. Eventually, tear gas was fired to clear the area. Clashes between police and spectators continued even after Messi left for the airport, with authorities struggling to restore order.

The incident has raised serious questions over crowd control, security planning, and event management at high-profile international sporting events in the state.