The highly-awaited event featuring football star Lionel Messi at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium turned into a massive disappointment for thousands of fans. The crowd became so angry about the bad management that they started causing damage, throwing chairs and bottles. Fans who paid high prices for tickets, some up to ₹25,000, said the event became a show just for VIPs. They complained that they only saw Messi for a very short time on a screen, as he was completely surrounded by many political figures.

Following the failure, the main opposition party, the BJP, strongly attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari called the incident a "TMC loot-fest" and a complete "betrayal of passionate football lovers." He demanded that the Chief Minister and two key ministers step down from their posts immediately. Adhikari also accused the organizers of running an "extortion racket," pointing out that fans were forced to buy small water bottles for ten times their normal price.

The sheer chaos led to fans breaking down barricades and trying to rush the field in anger. They felt cheated after paying large amounts of money for what they felt was a wasted trip. In response to the public anger, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee publicly said sorry to the fans. She also quickly ordered a high-level police investigation into the matter. Since then, the main event organizer has been arrested, and officials have promised a full refund for all the ticket money spent by the disappointed public.