Bengal CM Adhikari announces refund for Messi event fans
What's the story
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has promised to refund the tickets of 33,000 fans who attended the Lionel Messi event at Yuva Bharati Stadium. The event, held on December 13, 2025, turned chaotic due to overcrowding and mismanagement. Fans had paid between ₹4,000 and ₹6,000 for tickets but were unable to see the Argentine football legend as he left after only a brief appearance.
Refund progress
Messi has a huge fan base: Adhikari
CM Adhikari said he has already started the internal process to refund the fans.
"Messi has a huge fan base. They had purchased tickets costing ₹4,000 and ₹6,000. It is my wish to ensure that the money paid by these 33,000 sports enthusiasts is refunded," he said on National Sports Day.
The CM also slammed the previous government for neglecting sports infrastructure and opportunities in West Bengal.
Sports reform
CM promises mini indoor stadiums in all constituencies
Adhikari announced a ₹400 crore budget for the sports sector over eight months. He promised to build mini indoor stadiums in all 294 assembly constituencies and 100 new stadiums this year.
The CM also slammed political control over sports organizations, asking why every sector should be controlled by politics.
"The change this time will be a transformation of that very system," he said.
Sports representation
Poor representation in sports events
Adhikari also highlighted West Bengal's poor representation in national and international sports events.
He said many athletes who received appointment letters on National Sports Day had their paperwork pending for 11 years.
"In recent years, West Bengal's representation in the Olympics, the Asian Games, or national teams has been virtually non-existent," he said.