‘Unofficial’: Argentine envoy in city, skirts Messi controversy
Times of India | 24 January 2026
Kolkata: Messi's tour to India was an unofficial trip and the Argentine govt had nothing to do with it, said Argentine ambassador Mariano Agustin Caucino on Thursday, when asked about the mayhem that broke out during the football star's event at the Salt Lake stadium a little over a month ago.
Caucino, who was in the city for the inauguration of the International Kolkata Book Fair, made the remark at the very hotel where Messi stayed for a night during his visit. For the first time, Argentina is the ‘focus country' at Kolkata book fair. "This Messi tour was an unofficial tour in a private capacity, nothing to do with us," he said, adding he met the football legend in Mumbai.
The Kolkata leg of Messi's India tour descended into chaos, exposing glaring lapses in planning and crowd management. Messi had arrived at the stadium to deafening noise and an unprecedented crowd, only to leave 22 minutes later, more than 40 minutes before his scheduled departure, which triggered widespread anger among spectators. The mood flipped in seconds with Messi fans going on the rampage and ripping through the stadium, literally. By afternoon, chief organiser Satadru Dutta was arrested.
But Caucino did not mention anything from the Dec 13 event. All he said was he was well aware of Kolkatans' love for football and that he had heard about the Argentine team playing a friendly match with Venezuela in the city 14 years ago. "When I came to India, I learnt about the football craze in Kolkata, as well as Bengal's love for culture and literature. So I am really happy to be here," he added.
Asked about the chances of the Argentina national team playing again in the city, he said that AFA, the football association, was independent of govt and so, they took their own call. "The govt does not take any decision in this regard," he added.