A political blame game has erupted in West Bengal as the BJP launched a scathing attack on the state government after fans vandalised a Kolkata stadium during Argentine football legend Lionel Messi’s G.O.A.T tour in India. While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised for the chaos, saying she was “deeply disturbed and shocked” at the turn of events, the BJP attacked her for “shedding crocodile tears” and called the ruckus an “insult” to the state and the sport of football.
On Saturday, as soccer superstar Messi left the city’s iconic Vivekananda Yuvabharati Salt Lake Stadium after just 10 minutes of appearing on the pitch, disappointing football enthusiasts who had paid Rs 5,000 each to see Messi, fans resorted to vandalism damaging stadium property.
Tagging Mamata Banerjee’s tweets in which she expressed regret over the ugly scenes that were witnessed, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya launched an all-out attack on her and the state government.
“Stop shedding crocodile tears. This mismanagement and corruption are endemic to everything your government does. The TMC has launched a frontal attack on the emotions of the people of West Bengal and insulted every football lover,” he posted on X.
Amit Malviya also stated that immediate action must be taken to fix responsibility and obtain the resignations of those at fault.
He demanded that an FIR be registered against state Sports Minister Arup Biswas and his Cabinet colleague Sujit Bose, that they be removed from their posts without any delay, and that full refunds be provided to the audience who were compelled to spend large amounts of money to attend the event.
An event promoted as a grand spectacle for football fans turned chaotic after Messi exited the field within 10 minutes, sparking outrage among spectators.
Fans who had paid high ticket prices protested inside the stadium, accusing organisers of mismanagement and broken promises.
Eyewitnesses reported bottles being thrown, hoardings damaged, and security stepping in to control the situation.
Messi and other VVIPs were escorted out amid tight security, leaving many fans disappointed, as videos of the unrest later circulated online.
Calling it a major embarrassment for Kolkata, Amit Malviya said the incident would be remembered in history. He alleged Messi was brought for political motives after a 70-foot statue was installed, and people were misled into buying tickets priced between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000.
“Due to extremely poor management, Messi was not even allowed to stay for the programme and was taken away”, he added.
The Bengal unit of the BJP also took potshots at the Trinamool government, saying that the “mismanagement” led to the tarnishing of Bengal’s cultural image.
“Sob Khelar sera Bangalir Tumi Football (For Bengalis, football holds a special place). Bengal and football were always synonymous. But then @MamataOfficial came to power and that culture was completely destroyed. Now a World Cup winning football star has come to the city of football, and there is complete mismanagement,” the party wrote on X, sharing a video of the commotion inside the stadium.
“Is this a conspiracy to destroy every aspect of Bengali identity? Including our love for football?”.
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Published On:
Dec 13, 2025
