Lionel Messi’s whirlwind tour of India, which swept through Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi last week, has become the subject of intense legal and political scrutiny, following revelations about its staggering commercial cost and a breakdown of security that descended into near anarchy at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.
The Argentine legend was accompanied by close friends and former teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, with the trio appearing under the banner of Inter Miami. While billed as a celebratory footballing spectacle, the visit was, by all accounts, an explicitly commercial engagement. Yet it is not the football that has dominated headlines, but rather the unprecedented disorder at Salt Lake and the extraordinary sums now emerging from an official investigation.
According to findings disclosed by India’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), Messi alone is alleged to have received ₹89 crore for the tour. The total expenditure reportedly stood at ₹100 crore, a figure confirmed to investigators by the event’s principal organiser, Shatadru Dutta, who is currently in police custody. The information was first reported by news agency PTI.
Financial Snapshot of the India Tour :
| Item | Amount (₹ crore) |
|---|---|
| Fee paid to Lionel Messi | 89 |
| Tax paid to Government of India | 11 |
| Total tour expenditure | 100 |
| Funds from sponsors (claimed) | ~30 |
| Funds from ticket sales (claimed) | ~30 |
| Cash found in organiser’s bank account | 20+ |
Dutta has told investigators that 30 per cent of the funds were raised through sponsorships and another 30 per cent via ticket sales, with the remainder arranged through other channels now under examination. Investigators have frozen one of his bank accounts, discovering deposits exceeding ₹20 crore, which he claims are proceeds from the Kolkata and Hyderabad events. Several documents were also seized during a raid on his residence last Friday.
The events of 13 December at Salt Lake Stadium proved the tour’s most dramatic flashpoint. Thousands of fans, many having paid premium prices, grew furious when Messi became almost entirely obscured from view after being surrounded by 70 to 80 individuals on the pitch. What followed was vandalism, looting, and repeated clashes between spectators and police both inside and outside the stadium. The situation deteriorated so severely that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, en route to the venue, was forced to turn back midway.
Dutta was arrested at the airport while attempting to travel to Hyderabad and was remanded to 14 days’ police custody on 14 December. The state government has since constituted an SIT comprising senior IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and Muralidhar.
During questioning, Dutta stated that Messi was visibly unhappy about being touched and embraced on the field and left earlier than scheduled. He claimed foreign security officials had explicitly warned organisers that the footballer disliked being grabbed or held. Attention has also turned to West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, who was frequently seen standing extremely close to Messi, including during photographs. Allegations have surfaced that he used his influence to grant relatives and associates access to the inner enclosure. Amid mounting criticism, Biswas has resigned from his post pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Investigators are now focusing on how so many individuals gained pitch access. While Dutta maintains that only 150 ground passes were originally issued, he alleges that the arrival of a “highly influential person” led to the number being tripled, with control of the event effectively wrested from the organisers. The inquiry continues, with ramifications that may yet extend far beyond the football field.