Messi’s team faults Aroop Biswas amid event turmoil
Heartbroken fans who paid heavily vandalised venue after missing even a glimpse of Messi during chaotic event.
Kolkata’s long shadow over last year’s chaotic Lionel Messi event was cast anew on Wednesday, when Satadru Dutta — the organiser who was arrested after the Salt Lake Stadium fiasco — said Messi’s communication team has written to Bidhannagar Police blaming former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas for the breakdown. Dutta, who was jailed during the previous TMC government on charges of mismanagement, said the letter clears him of responsibility and pins the fault on officials and others who disrupted the approved protocol.
Dutta told PTI that an email from the consultant and adviser tied to Messi’s India tour reached the police on June 17 and explicitly stated the decision to end the programme early lay beyond the promoter’s control. “Even on the day I was arrested, they repeatedly told the police about the role of the then sports minister. The Bidhannagar Police, who reportedly received the communication, have so far declined to comment.
According to the letter shared by Dutta — which PTI could not independently verify — the approved arrangements for Messi’s appearance were violated. The communication alleges that while the event plan allowed no dignitaries on the field and only three camera operators, the then sports minister allegedly entered the field and took part in unscheduled activities. That breach, the letter claims, was compounded by repeated unscheduled interactions with Messi and the presence of roughly 40 unaccredited photographers and camera operators in restricted zones, creating acute security concerns.
The allegations strike at the heart of the controversy that unfolded on December 13. The packed Salt Lake Stadium descended into disorder after large numbers of people entered without valid access, leading to breaches of security and crowding that marred the event. Many attendees later complained about inflated prices for basic items and the chaotic management of passes and entry.
New sports minister Dr Indranil Khan responded sharply, saying the previous minister ought to be held accountable. and calling for answers to the complaints about exploitation of spectators — from overpriced water bottles to expensive passes.
For Dutta, the newly cited email, if genuine, could change public understanding of what went wrong. For many who queued for hours only to see the event curtailed, though, the crucial question is whether accountability will follow and whether those who suffered — ticket-holders, stadium staff and local vendors — will get redress.
Whether the Bidhannagar Police will now act on the communication or continue to treat the matter as closed remains unclear. Meanwhile, the episode continues to be a bitter reminder of how big sporting spectacles can go wrong when protocol, crowd control and chain-of-command break down — and how quickly blame can ripple through politics, administration and public trust.