From Messi's GOAT Tour glory to police action: What went wrong for organiser Satadru Dutta?

What was billed as a once-in-a-generation football spectacle in Kolkata descended into chaos on Saturday, prompting police action against the event’s chief organiser and cutting short Lionel Messi’s much-anticipated appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium. 

Police detained Satadru Dutta, the prime organiser and promoter of the event, from Kolkata airport after the Argentine World Cup-winning captain left the venue early amid disorder and crowd unrest. Dutta was picked up while attempting to see off Messi and his entourage, who later departed for Hyderabad. 

Messi’s visit to Kolkata — his first appearance at the venue since 2011 — had generated enormous excitement, with fans paying hefty sums for tickets to catch a glimpse of the football icon during the India leg of his ‘G.O.A.T. Tour’.

However, frustration mounted as Messi’s tightly guarded and brief presence left large sections of the crowd unable to see him at all. Within minutes of his arrival on the field, Messi was engulfed by a swarm of politicians, police officials, VIPs and their aides. The situation quickly spiralled, with crowd anger boiling over into disorder and vandalism in parts of the stadium. 

Who is Satadru Dutta? 

Satadru Dutta is a well-known football promoter and the main organiser behind Messi’s much-awaited return to India. Promotional banners and posters for the ‘G.O.A.T. Tour’ prominently described the event as “A Satadru Dutta Initiative”. 

Ahead of Messi’s arrival, Dutta had spoken enthusiastically about the visit. “There’s a great atmosphere of joy that Messi is coming to India after 14 years… It’s also good for the fans, an opportunity to see Messi. Football’s connection to India is growing again. Never before have so many sponsors come to Indian football,” he had told reporters. 

Dutta has previously played a key role in bringing global football icons such as Pelé and Diego Maradona to India. In recent interactions on Instagram, he had also expressed his ambition to bring Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo to the country. 

As tensions escalated, promoter Satadru Dutta repeatedly appealed to those on the field to clear space for Messi. “Please leave him alone. Please vacate the ground,” he pleaded over the public address system, his voice choking with emotion. 

The appeals, however, fell on deaf ears. Dignitaries continued to crowd around the footballer, effectively camouflaging him amid layers of security and officials, worsening fan resentment in the stands. 

FIR lodged, arrest confirmed 

Following the incident, Jawed Shamim, Additional Director General (Law and Order), confirmed that legal action had been initiated. “The FIR has been lodged, and the chief organiser has been arrested. They are promising that they will return the ticket fee to fans. We will see how it can be done,” Shamim said. 

West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar said the detention was linked to suspected lapses in event management. “We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser’s side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control,” Kumar said. 

According to the DGP, the organiser has also given a written assurance that ticket prices would be refunded to disappointed spectators.