Messi's India Tour Earnings Revealed: Organiser Shares Details

The organiser of Lionel Messi’s India visit has told investigators that the football superstar was paid Rs 89 crore, with the total expenditure for the entire tour touching Rs 100 crore.

Satadru Dutta, the arrested organiser of the Messi event held in Kolkata on Dec. 13, made the disclosure during his grilling on Dec. 19 by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). According to investigators, Rs 11 crore from the total amount was paid as tax to the Indian government. A PTI report, citing sources, mentioned that 30% of the funds were raised through sponsors, while another 30% came from ticket sales.

SIT officials also found over Rs 20 crore in Dutta’s frozen bank accounts. On Dec. 19, following raids at Dutta’s residence, the officers seized several documents, the report added.

An officer said Dutta claimed the amount in his bank account was money earned from ticket sales for the Messi events in Kolkata and Hyderabad, as well as contributions from sponsors.

During questioning, Dutta reportedly told investigators that Messi was “unhappy with being touched or hugged” during his appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium and left the venue earlier than scheduled.

Dutta said the issue had been communicated in advance by foreign security officials tasked with protecting the footballer.

“Despite repeated public announcements to restrain the crowd, there was no impact. The manner in which Messi was surrounded and embraced was completely unacceptable to the World Cup-winning footballer,” Dutta told the investigators.

West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas was seen close to Messi throughout the event, with visuals showing him holding the footballer around the waist while posing for photographs. Biswas has been accused of using his influence to allow relatives and personal acquaintances access to Messi. Amid criticism, he resigned from his post as sports minister pending completion of the investigation.

Investigators are also probing how such a large number of people gained access to the ground area. Dutta claimed that only 150 ground passes were initially issued, but the number was tripled when a “very influential person” arrived at the stadium and “overpowered him.” Police are examining whether the expanded access directly contributed to the breakdown of crowd control.

Thousands of spectators had bought high-priced tickets to attend the event at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, but the programme descended into chaos when a large crowd surrounded Messi on the field.

The Argentine star was barely visible from the galleries, triggering backlash among fans. Many fans later vandalised parts of the stadium.

The West Bengal government subsequently constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the vandalism, security lapses, access violations and the role of organisers and officials.