Messi event chaos: Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari promises ticket refunds for 33,000 spectators

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari Saturday announced that internal procedures are underway to refund ticket money to roughly 33,000 spectators who attended the Lionel Messi event in Kolkata last year. Speaking during a National Sports Day programme, he lambasted the mismanagement of the event and assured that the state sports budget would fund reimbursements.

He mentioned the struggles of ordinary supporters, noting that even a local delivery worker had spent his entire year's savings to purchase a ticket. The Lionel Messi event at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) was heavily marred by crowd mismanagement, severe overcrowding, and logistical failures.

Thousands of football enthusiasts spent significant sums, with individual ticket prices ranging between Rs 4,000 and Rs 8,000, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Argentine star. However, pitchside crowding by VIPs and officials blocked spectators' views, while Messi's appearance lasted only a brief fraction of the scheduled duration.

The resulting frustration led to anger among the audience and widespread demands for financial accountability. Chief Minister Adhikari said that political over-interference in sports administration would no longer be tolerated.

Along with promising full reimbursements for ticket holders, the government announced systemic reforms aimed at depoliticising local sports organisations and upgrading athletic infrastructure state-wide. Vowing to end political overreach in sports administration, Adhikari questioned why individuals with no athletic background should control sports organisations purely on political grounds.

As part of a larger sports sector overhaul, he announced a Rs 400 crore budget to construct modern mini indoor stadiums to be named Shri Aurobindo Stadium across all 294 Assembly constituencies, targeting 100 completions this year.

He also said that appointment files for successful athletes, pending at the CMO since 2015, have finally been cleared, handing over police constable appointment letters to eight athletes and honouring 145 sports figures with Rs 4.31 crore in total prize money under new welfare initiatives like the 'Atal Khel Samman'.