Messi GOAT India Tour: Organiser To Refund Ticket Prices To Disappointed Fans In Kolkata
The police also detained Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, following widespread chaos at the venue.
West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar on Saturday assured refund of ticket prices to to fans disappointed by mismanagement at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
The DGP said that organisers of Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. India Tour event in Kolkata will refund tickets.
Chaos erupted when scores of politicians and celebrities blocked fans' views of Messi, leading to vandalism inside the stadium.
The police also detained Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Datta was detained for alleged mismanagement of the event at the Kolkata airport where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar added.
Mamata Apologises To Messi
Stating that she was shocked and deeply disturbed by the "mismanagement" at the Lionel Messi event in Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced the constitution of a high-level committee to probe the incident.
Banerjee said she was on the way to the Salt Lake stadium to attend the event, along with thousands of fans, who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the football icon.
"I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident," she said in a post on X. "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.
Banerjee said 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," she said.
Messi's brief visit to the city descended into chaos as angry fans broke security protocols after failing to catch even a glimpse of the world’s most popular footballer during his blink-and-miss 22-minute appearance at the Salt Lake stadium in the morning.
