New Delhi: Nearly two months after the little boy from Rosario, Argentina, took the field at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan stadium for the much-hyped Lionel Messi GOAT India Tour — an event marred by vandalism, police lathi-charge — heartbroken fans remain in the dark over refunds for tickets priced between Rs 4,000 and Rs 20,000.
Just after the failed event, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee publicly apologised for the mismanagement of the event and ordered an inquiry.
“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. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” the CM wrote in a post on X on 13 December.
Banerjee had constituted an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, “with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members”.
“The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future,” she added.
A political fiasco had erupted in the state when Governor CV Ananda Bose was denied entry into the stadium on 14 December. He had ordered an immediate refund for the spectators along with an inquiry, compensation for the damaged stadium, suspension of police officers, and SOPs for such high-profile events.
“I have not received any official communication at all—no email, no SMS, no app notification, and no formal public notice. The only information I came across was through social media posts stating that the Governor had promised a full refund of ticket money. Beyond that, there was nothing,” said Rishav Dasgupta, who had paid Rs 12,775 for a ticket.
There was no official channel, helpline or designated authority to follow up on the matter, he said, adding, “We were completely left in the dark. I expected communication either from the organisers, the ticketing platform through which the tickets were purchased, or a formal statement from the state authorities involved in hosting the event”.
Dasgupta bought his ticket on the very first day when the tickets went live on 9 October 2025. It was a Block A1 (right side) ticket — the second most premium category, located just below the VIP box.
At the centre of the unfolding controversy is a question that goes beyond one failed football event: who is accountable to consumers when a high-profile event collapses — the state, the organiser, or the ticketing platform that collected the money?
A sold promise, an experience ruined
While Dasgupta could not find credible contact information for the organising committee or any responsible authority, a few fans tried their luck through customer care emails and helpline numbers, only to get “usual responses”.
“Most calls either did not connect or were met with generic replies like ‘the issue is under review.’ My emails received automated responses with no real information. It feels like we are being deliberately kept in the dark, and there is no accountability from anyone involved,” said Belawal Mumtaz, 28, a Kolkata-based IT engineer.
Mumtaz, who holds the organiser and the ticketing platform responsible for the event’s failure, had bought a C1 block ticket worth Rs 11,000 just a few weeks ahead of the event.
“For students and middle-class fans like me, this was a big financial commitment. Not knowing whether the money will ever be returned creates anxiety and frustration. It feels unfair that fans are paying the price for poor planning and mismanagement,” he added.
The Argentine legend was slated to stay on the field for one-and-a-half hours and participate in a friendly football match between Mohun Bagan All Stars and Diamond Harbour FC, and an on-field interaction with former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and actor Shah Rukh Khan.
What followed instead was a brief appearance, crowd mismanagement, and angry spectators, which forced Messi to leave the field within 15 minutes.
“I heard about refunds only after the situation escalated, through unofficial announcements and later media reports. There was no clear, immediate communication,” 28-year-old Arnab Paul, a salaried person, told ThePrint. Like Dasgupta, he too has been struggling due to the absence of any system to even begin the refund process and the lack of transparent communication either from the state, organiser or the ticketing platform.
“The ticket amount was quite high, and the complete lack of clarity added to the frustration. But realistically speaking, people in West Bengal tend to forget such things over time. Life moves on, and expectations slowly fade — not because the issue is resolved, but because people lose hope of accountability,” Dasgupta added.
Apology at the top, silence below
A four-member Special Investigative Team (SIT) comprising Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Jawed Shamim, ADG South Bengal Supratim Sarkar, Director (Security) Peeyush Pandey, and Barrackpore Police Commissioner Muralidhar Sharma had been formed to probe the matter.
When ThePrint reached out to Sharma, he refused to comment on the matter.
For ticket-holders, Mamata’s apology raised a more immediate concern: would they get their money back?
Meeting Messi would have been a dream come true for Mumtaz. But now, all he wants is a refund.
“I want a clear refund timeline—a firm date by which every ticket holder will get their money back. We also deserve an honest explanation about why the event was announced without proper confirmation and why there has been such silence afterwards. An apology would be welcome, but transparency and refunds are more important,” he said.
Mumtaz added that after the event organiser, Satadru Dutta, was arrested, one of the senior police officials had addressed the media, claiming that refunds would be initiated soon.
While government statements mostly focused on administrative lapses and law-and-order issues, there was little public communication on refunds — especially from the ticketing platform involved in the event.
District, an app which operates under Zomato’s events vertical, had processed a significant number of ticket sales for the event. Yet several weeks after the fiasco, users say they have received no clear refund timeline from the platform. When ThePrint reached out to Zomato over e-mails, they declined to comment on the matter.
District’s role in the controversy highlights a growing grey area in India’s live-events economy. Ticketing platforms often position themselves as “facilitators” rather than organisers, arguing that responsibility for event delivery lies with the promoters.
Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, failure to provide a paid-for service can constitute “deficiency in service”.
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The organiser’s shadow
Dutta was arrested following the chaos on 13 December itself, adding another layer of complexity. While police action addressed potential criminal negligence, it also raised concerns about whether sufficient funds remain available for refunds.
He was finally granted bail on 19 January after his earlier bail pleas were rejected twice.
“Unless and until a charge sheet is filed, and a person is convicted, he isn’t guilty. Refund from my client will be discussed later if he is found guilty in the matter,” Soumyajit Raha, Dutta’s lawyer, told ThePrint. “What if he is acquitted after the charge sheet. Who will return Dutta’s money then?”
He added that 34,576 tickets had been sold for the Kolkata leg of the GOAT Tour, amounting to around Rs 20.1 crore. “The accused had already spent 14 days in police custody and another 14 days in judicial custody, and nothing has transpired against him yet. Also, everything in the name of ‘investigation’ has already been completed.”
The SIT team had already submitted to the court that there had been no pre-planning, orchestration or deception from the accused, Raha said, adding, “Around Rs 23 crore has already been frozen, so there is no chance of siphoning the money as well.”
Political optics
The Messi fiasco also underscores a familiar pattern in India: swift political damage control followed by slow consumer redressal. After the poor mismanagement at the event faced heavy backlash, West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, who, along with his relatives, were seen around Messi through the entire event, resigned from his post.
While the state government moved quickly to apologise, announce an inquiry, and put on a damage control show, affected fans had slammed the ruling party, claiming that the incident had shaken the trust of people in the state government.
“When politics overshadow public events, fans suffer. Whether directly connected to the event or not, the event definitely felt like image-building was prioritised over public responsibility. Events of such stature should be about the people, and not publicity,” Paul said.
Dasgupta and Mumtaz echoed the same sentiment: “When politics take precedence over fans, safety and organisation, events like this are bound to fail.”
Opposition parties criticised the government for “event management theatre”.
“The TMC has brought shame upon the entire state with this Messi event in the Mecca of Indian football. The resignation of Biswas was a political gimmick; it was only because the state elections are coming later this year. Nothing but damage control. No money will ever be returned,” Ritesh Tiwari, a senior BJP leader in West Bengal, told ThePrint.
Satadru Dutta had been used to raise funds for the upcoming Assembly elections, Tiwari alleged, adding that “if the government really wants to take action. I dare them to refund the entire money collected to the ticket-holders.”
“For the past 15 years, the ruling party in the state has never owned up to their own mistake. They are busy pointing fingers at other political parties in the state. Rest assured, this has become international news, and it will definitely be on our agenda for the upcoming elections,” Tiwari said.
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‘It was never about money’
For many, the memory of seeing Messi — even from a distance — has already faded. What remains is a transaction unresolved, and a growing demand that platforms, organisers, and authorities stop passing the buck.
“I had been counting days since the moment I had bought the ticket, waiting to see my idol for the first time in my life. But I could not even get a proper glance at him. It was never about the money,” Dasgupta added.
“What hurts the most is that our emotions were played with. What Messi means to us and to football cannot be described in words. The pain of having the only chance to see your idol taken away can only be felt and not explained,” he said.
For fans who saved up, travelled, and waited, the question is no longer about football.
It is about accountability — accountability for their emotions, their hard-earned money.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)