Sports organizer Satadru Dutta broke his silence over the chaos during Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour in Kolkata, warning of defamation action and even approaching the Supreme Court over allegations linked to the disorder. He said he would publicly reveal details surrounding the incident following the electoral defeat of Aroop Biswas.
Sports event organizer Satadru Dutta has finally broken his silence regarding the disorder that erupted during the first leg of Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour in India at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Messi, the Argentina captain, along with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul, was evacuated from the venue within 25 minutes due to crowd-related issues and vandalism.
Dutta, the organizer of the tour, was arrested at the airport while departing for the Hyderabad leg.
Meanwhile, the then Bengal sports minister, Aroop Biswas, also faced criticism after a capacity crowd was allegedly prevented from getting a clear view of Messi. Reports claimed that politicians and local administrators crowded around the football star.
After spending 39 days in custody, Satadru has now said he plans to go public about the incident following Biswas’ defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections and the Trinamool Congress government losing power.
Satadru has also warned of legal action against Biswas, who lost his Tollygunge seat to BJP candidate Papiya Adhikari.
He posted on Facebook stories,
“Just because you have lost in the elections, don’t think that you have been punished. I will lodge a defamation case, and if needed, will go to the Supreme Court. I will fight till the end,”
He added,
“Repeatedly, I told him not to click pictures here. But, he, using his power, went on to click photos. He will have to pay for this. He (Biswas) is having a laugh while his own people infiltrate. No one heard my cry of anguish. Police also stood still,”
Satadru further stated that he would hold a press conference soon to provide additional details.
“Press conference is coming soon. Everything will be exposed. You sabotaged my event. You victimised me. You made my three years of effort and perseverance go in vain. You made all the fans disappointed. You put me in jail for 38 days. Now, it’s my turn. They thought silence could bury the truth…forced my team to issue ground access cards. When they refused, ground access card was denied. You locked them in room arrest. Intimidation. Control. Your stooges didn’t just interfere…they blackmailed my event. They sabotaged everything.”
The unrest erupted after Lionel Messi made only a brief and heavily guarded appearance at the venue. This was his first visit to the Salt Lake Stadium since 2011.
Large sections of the crowd were left disappointed and angry as they were unable to see the football icon despite travelling long distances and paying high prices for tickets. The frustration eventually turned into violence, leading to large-scale destruction of property and raising serious questions about crowd control, event planning, and financial transparency.
The matter took a serious legal turn, with the Calcutta High Court set to examine whether an independent central agency probe is required to ensure accountability, transparency, and justice in connection with the high-profile fiasco.
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