Page 2 - Lionel Messi

Messi event chaos in Kolkata: Chief organiser sent to 14-day police custody

A court here on Sunday sent Satadru Datta, the chief organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake stadium where chaos erupted a day ago, to 14-day police custody, an officer said. Datta was arrested by the Bidhannagar Police on Saturday for mismanagement of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad. The counsel, appearing for Datta, told the court that his client was being "victimised and framed", the officer said. "We expect that the police investigation in the next 14 days will bring clarity," Datta's lawyer said. BJP supporters held a protest outside the court when Datta was taken there. What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi's brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated. They failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite hav

Messi event chaos: Inquiry panel inspects Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata

Members of a committee, set up by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to inquire about the chaos during Argentine football icon Lionel Messi's event in Salt Lake stadium a day ago, reached the venue on Sunday to carry out an on-ground inspection, officials said. The panel members, headed by retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, will conduct the probe, they said. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakravorty are also members of the inquiry team. The members will inspect the stadium premises, crowd management arrangements and facilities provided to spectators as part of the probe into the alleged mismanagement during Messi's event on Saturday, the officials said. CCTV footage might also be probed, they said. The committee has been tasked with fixing responsibility for the lapses that led to the chaos and recommending measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents at high-profile events. What was billed as a marquee sporting specta

Messi Kolkata event poorly managed, administration responsible: BJP MP

Speaking on the incident, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said, The West Bengal government clearly appears to have failed in this event

Bengal Guv denied' entry into stadium, hours after Messi event fiasco

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose was on Saturday evening "denied" entry into the Salt Lake Stadium, hours after chaos and crowd trouble at the venue marred an event featuring football legend Lionel Messi. Bose described the denial of entry as an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor, and sought a reply from the authorities. I never write a report without seeing the place My report is half ready. I want to see for myself what happens in ground zero, he told reporters outside the stadium, adding that he would give the authorities one more chance to open the gate. Is this the way Bengal treats its Governor? The Governor is not a rubber stamp, Bose said, terming the episode a ghastly irrelevance of a constitutional authority. Bose said he would revisit the stadium on Sunday and examine the issue in depth. It is not a personal affront this is an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor... If any deliberate attempt is made by someone to hide the truth

Lionel Messi's India Tour 2025: Check full itinerary for his four-day visit

Messi's India tour will kick off in Kolkata on December 13, a city with a rich footballing heritage and special significance for the Argentine star

Fans rage as Messi's event in Kolkata stadium ends in 5 minutes | Watch

Angered by Messi's five-minute show at the Salt Lake Stadium, fans vandalised the stadium after he left

Chaos erupts at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium as fans struggle to see Messi

Chaos erupted at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Saturday as spectators, who had paid hefty amounts for tickets to see Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, protested after being unable to catch a clear glimpse of the soccer player. Messi arrived at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan around 11.30 am along with long-time strike partner Luis Surez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul, and was the first to take the ground. He briefly moved around and waved at the crowd. However, he remained surrounded by VIPs, organisers and security personnel throughout his round, effectively cutting off the spectators' view from the galleries. Fans claimed that they could not see Messi properly, either directly or on the stadium's giant screens, despite waiting since morning. Frustration mounted as chants of We want Messi echoed across the stands. Tempers flared when the Argentine star was escorted out of the stadium within minutes, well before several invited dignitaries arrived. Disappointed

Rahul Gandhi to attend friendly football match between Messi, Revanth Reddy

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will attend the GOAT India Tour event featuring football legend Lionel Messi at the RGI Cricket Stadium here on Saturday evening, Telangana Congress sources said. A friendly match will be played between the two teams -- Singareni RR9 and Aparna-Messi All Stars. These two teams will be playing a 15-20 minute friendly match and five minutes before the game, the chief minister, a football enthusiast and Messi will join and will dribble the ball together. Rahul Gandhi will land here on a special flight at 4.30 PM and will proceed to Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel where Messi will be staying. After watching the game, Gandhi will leave for the national capital by 10.30 PM. Elaborate security arrangements are being made for the event at the RGI Cricket stadium. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu said security would be provided with 3,000 personnel.

Messi's India tour begins today! All you need to know about Kolkata leg

The Argentine great, accompanied by his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, will follow a tightly packed schedule featuring meet-and-greets, ceremonial events in Kolkata today

Messi mania grips Kolkata, arrival sparks frenzy as his India tour begins

Thousands braved the December chill and waited past midnight to give a rousing welcome to Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi as he arrived in Kolkata for his whirlwind three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour 2025. The Barcelona legend's 2.26 am touchdown in the early hours of Saturday sent the city into an frenzy. Gate 4 of the international arrivals turned into a roaring sea of chants, flags and flashing phones, with fans sprinting between gates for even a fleeting glimpse of their favourite sports star. Children perched on shoulders and drums rolled as Messi was whisked out through the VIP gate under massive security. A heavy convoy then escorted him to his hotel, where another huge crowd was waiting deep into the night. Barricades, police deployment, and non-stop cheering completed a citywide eruption of "Messi mania." Messi arrived with long-time strike partner Luis Surez and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul. Over the next 72 hours, he will zip across Kolkata, Hyderab

Lionel Messi claims back-to-back MLS MVP awards and leads Miami to glory

Messi joined the South Florida club in July 2023, when Inter Miami was sitting at the bottom of the league table.

Could Ronaldo meet Messi at the FIFA World Cup 2026? The path explained

The last time Cristiano Ronaldo faced Lionel Messi in an international football match was back in November. 2014 when both Argentina and Portugal played an international friendly at Old Trafford.

Messi adds Hyderabad as the fourth stopover in 'GOAT Tour to India 2025'

Hyderabad was added to the schedule after plans for Argentina's proposed friendly in Kochi were called off

Messi's 2 goals, 2 assists fire Inter Miami into Eastern Conference semis

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are three wins away from an MLS Cup title. Messi scored a pair of first-half goals and added two assists, leading the way as third-seeded Inter Miami ousted sixth-seeded Nashville SC 4-0 on Saturday night in the decisive Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. Tadeo Allende scored a pair of goals about three minutes apart both set up by Messi in the second half to blow the game open for Inter Miami, which outscored Nashville 8-3 in the series. Messi had a hand in all eight of those goals, scoring five and assisting on the other three. Inter Miami will go to FC Cincinnati for an East semifinal match everything now is single-elimination, unlike Round 1's best-of-three format on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23. Cincinnati went 1-0-1 against Inter Miami this season, winning 3-0 at home on July 16 and playing to a scoreless draw at Fort Lauderdale on July 26. Messi was in the lineup for the first meeting, but not the second. "We know Cincinnat

Lionel Messi's G.O.A.T. Tour now includes Hyderabad on extended route

Lionel Messi's much-anticipated 'GOAT Tour to India 2025' just got bigger with Hyderabad added as the new southern leg stop to ensure fans in the region are not "deprived" of seeing their idol following the cancellation of Argentina's proposed friendly in Kerala. The decision to add Hyderabad comes in the wake of the cancellation of Argentina's proposed friendly in Kochi, which had been originally announced by Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman for November 17. The revised plan now ensures Messi's 'GOAT Tour' will span all four corners of India -- east (Kolkata), south (Hyderabad), west (Mumbai) and north (New Delhi) -- turning it into one of the biggest sporting spectacles ever hosted in the country. "Now we are covering south also. This will be a tribute to millions of football fans in South India," Satadru Dutta, the sole organiser of the 'GOAT Tour to India 2025', told PTI on Saturday. "With this, every part of India is covered. West is covered through Mumbai, east through ..

Kochi stadium's Argentina match sponsor chosen with transparency: Minister

Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman on Tuesday said that the sponsor for renovating the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here, for the Argentina team's football match, was selected in a transparent process based on government orders. The minister's response to reporters came a day after Congress MP Hibi Eden alleged "shady dealings" by the Kerala government in the renovation of the stadium. Abdurahiman said that the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) had a day ago clarified everything related to the renovation work. The minister further said that a technical officer of the Argentina team had inspected the stadium. "We should have handed over the stadium at least 20 days before the fixture," he said. Abdurahiman said that the inspections by the authorities found lack of proper fire safety measures. Furthermore, safety and security arrangements had to be put in place quickly and we expected that the work would get over on time. "As you saw, a large number of people

Messi inks new Inter Miami contract, to play on through 2026 season

Lionel Messi has finally agreed to a new contract with Inter Miami, a deal that required several months to complete and ensures that the sport's biggest icon will be with the Major League Soccer club for its planned move into a new stadium next year. The deal was announced Thursday, one day before Inter Miami's playoff opener against Nashville. Messi's team the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference will play host to Game 1 of that best-of-three series on Friday night. The team announced the move in a social media post, one showing Messi signing the contract inside the new stadium that remains under construction. HE'S HOME, the team said in the post. Inter Miami said it was a three-year deal through 2028. The notion of Messi playing two or three more seasons certainly would serve as a boost to ticket sales at the stadium the team has been building near Miami International Airport. The team has been selling ticket packages and taking deposits on seats in the new park for more than a

Harry Kane edges past Ronaldo and Messi to set new goalscoring record

The England captain found the net in Bayern Munich's 4-0 Champions League victory over Club Brugge on Wednesday night, tapping home from close range in the 14th minute.

Messi's GOAT tour of India: Kolkata event date and time, how to buy tickets

Fans can now book their tickets to witness Messi's Kolkata appearance and the possible derby match.

Messi India tour ticket prices, schedule, how to buy Delhi event's ticket

Messi will reportedly meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss grassroots football in India and launch Youth-focused sports programs.