Messi's Kolkata appearance sparked chaos due to poor planning, leading to an apology and probe.

Chaos erupted at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on December 13, 2025, during a brief appearance by Lionel Messi, prompting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to apologize and launch a judicial probe. The event, organized by a private PR agency and not involving the AIFF, drew around 50,000 fans who paid high prices, some on the black market, only to face poor crowd control, blocked views by VIPs, and security failures. Fans stormed the field, damaged facilities, and threw objects, leading to police intervention and Messi’s early departure. Banerjee appointed a committee led by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray to investigate, while political tensions rose between the TMC and BJP over blame for the disorder.