Refund in 7–10 days but fans say Messi ‘miss’ left emotional scars
Times of India | 17 December 2025
Kolkata: The first set of administrative actions by the state, coupled with CM Mamata Banerjee-appointed inquiry committee's assertion on Tuesday that they are going to recommend ways for the refund to 34,000 spectators who bought tickets for the Messi event, might not be enough to pacify those who "missed" seeing their icon in action at the Salt Lake stadium last Saturday. However, they asserted that getting the money back might be a "necessary step" to somewhat ease the pain.
Sources at Nabanna have iterated that the state govt's current priority was on refunding the money. A state minister stated: "The money must be refunded. There is no alternative."
Nabanna and Bhawani Bhawan have begun examining how to refund the money. According to the state administration, the refund process is not very complicated. However, due to certain circumstances, the process has not yet started. These aspects are currently being reviewed. "We are aiming for a refund in the next 10 days but it might get stretched to a couple of weeks due to procedural issues," said a cop at Bhawani Bhawan.
Most of those Messi fans said that only refunding the money will not repair the damage done to people's emotions and expectations. "We would not have bought the tickets if we cared only about the money. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Messi. People are very sad as well as very angry. However, refunding the money is the least they can do now," said Pritam Dey, a fan.
Many, like Avick Chakraborty, saved money bit by bit over the months to buy an expensive ticket to have a glimpse of Messi. "It was a life-time opportunity for many of us to see Messi in front of our eyes. Many of us saved money from our salaries to buy a ticket just to get a glimpse of Messi. Refunding the money will at least give us some consolation," said Chakraborty, who bought a ticket for Rs 15,000.
Event management companies experienced in organising such events say that the possibility of having to refund the audience is always considered when planning an event. Therefore, the organisers are aware of the procedures. It is not a difficult task. Generally, there is a 90-day time frame (from the show date) for refunds. But it usually doesn't take that long. The head of an event management company said: "The refund can be processed within seven to 10 days at most. It's not a big deal. Such incidents have happened worldwide before and will happen in the future. So, the process has to be simple."
Tickets for Messi's event at Salt Lake Stadium were sold through an online platform known more as a food delivery app. As a result, the ticket money is currently held by the company. Once the state administration instructs the company to refund the ticket money, the process will begin.
However, the online firm will not refund the full amount. People involved in event management say that the refund will be processed after deducting GST, the platform's own fee, and the 4%-6% tax typically levied on such events (which is usually mentioned on all event tickets, stating that this amount is non-refundable even if the event is cancelled). The remaining amount will be returned to chief organiser Shatadru Dutta's organisation by the online platform. Dutta's organisation will then refund the money to the spectators.
The state administration also has an estimate of how many people might need refunds. Approximately 49,000 tickets were released for the gallery at Salt Lake Stadium for Saturday's event. However, around 15,000 of those were complimentary. The remaining were sold.
Although the process of refunding the ticket money for Messi's event is not complicated, there is a procedural issue. Since Dutta has the final signing authority in his organisation, the process cannot proceed without him. Since Dutta is in police custody, it is uncertain if these tasks can be expedited through him, and what legal provisions exist in this regard.