Ticket money for Messi event to be refunded to 33,000 fans, West Bengal CM Suvenda assures

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who brought the Lionel Messi fiasco to the fore, assured on the occasion of National Sports Day that the money of 33,000 fans who bought tickets for Messi’s chaotic event at the Yuva Bharati Stadium would be refunded from the state sports budget.

Lionel Messi visited the Yuva Bharati Stadium on December 13, 2025 but the event was accompanied by chaos. Excessive hobnobbing by Aroop Biswas, the sports minister of the Trinamool Congress government was blamed for the mess. Although the spectators present at the stadium that day demanded the return of tickets priced at Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000, the demand has not been met so far.

Referring to the incident at a special National Sports Day event held in Nabanna to mark the birth anniversary of the ‘Wizard of Hockey’ Major Dhyan Chand, Suvendu said, “Messi has a huge fan base. They have bought tickets priced at Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000. It is my wish to ensure that the money paid by these 33,00 initiated sports enthusiasts is already paid.” I hope I can do it.”

Former hockey player Gurbux Singh, Sports Minister Indranil Khan, All India Football Federation President Kalyan Chaubey and others attended the event on Saturday. On this occasion, successful athletes were awarded and presented with certificates of appointment.

Criticizing the previous government for neglecting the sports sector, the Prime Minister said, “You would be surprised to know that the paperwork for many of the athletes who received appointment letters today has been gathering dust in the Chief Minister’s office for 11 years.

“In recent years West Bengal’s representation in the Olympics, Asian Games or national teams has been virtually non-existent while states like Odisha and Jharkhand send their representatives. Bengal has the talent, intellect, determination and focus but lacks the necessary systems, initiatives and political will. Why does every sports sector or organization have to be driven by politics.” The change this time will be a transformation.

Outlining his government’s plan, he said, “We have allocated a budget of four hundred crore rupees for the sports sector; though it is not a budget for a whole year but for eight months. We will build small indoor stadiums with tennis courts, badminton courts and gymnasiums in all the 294 assembly constituencies. It is not possible to build stadiums this year in 29 years. The existing stadiums are in a dilapidated condition, the previous government neglected the sports sector.”

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

30 Aug 2026 07:51 IST