West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that around 22,000 fans who purchased tickets for Lionel Messi’s Kolkata event last year but were unable to watch the Argentine star will be offered free tickets for India’s international friendly against Uruguay on October 6. The move follows the controversy surrounding Messi’s previous visit and is aimed at offering affected spectators another opportunity to attend a major football fixture.
The announcement came after India’s high-profile friendly against Brazil at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. India suffered a 4-0 defeat against the two-time FIFA World Cup champions, who fielded a strong lineup featuring several established players. Despite the prominence of the fixture, large sections of the 85,000-capacity stadium remained empty, adding to discussions around football attendance and fan engagement in Kolkata.
Adhikari said the West Bengal government would facilitate free tickets for fans who had purchased tickets online for last year’s Messi event but were unable to watch the Argentine forward amid the disorder surrounding the programme. He said around 22,000 people were affected and that the government would announce a WhatsApp number through which eligible fans could collect tickets for the Uruguay match.
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“I want to convey this through the media to the people who missed out on the Messi event, some 22,000 of them — we (the West Bengal Government) will announce a WhatsApp number through which they can collect their free tickets for the Uruguay match,” Adhikari said, according to reports. India are scheduled to return to the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday for their international friendly against Uruguay, who are two-time FIFA World Cup champions.
The West Bengal government is also considering increased financial support for Indian football, with Adhikari pointing to Odisha’s backing of hockey as a possible model. He said the state could study successful initiatives elsewhere and adapt them to strengthen football, given Kolkata’s longstanding association with the sport.
Adhikari said the government would examine the approach adopted by Odisha, which has provided financial support for hockey and contributed to its development in the state. He suggested that a similar model could be considered for football in West Bengal, where the sport has a deep-rooted following and Kolkata remains one of India’s major football centres.
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