The cricket stadium in Kolkata, Eden Gardens, has been very strict with its spectator policies. Even though such strictness is not applicable in domestic matches such as the Ranji Trophy matches. However, fans are not allowed to take anything but physical tickets inside the stadium. The strictness is so much that one can't even carry coins inside. The instructions are written in small fonts at the bottom of the physical tickets. The spectators undergo massive checkups, with security often discovering makeup items, metal bottles, and even unwanted materials from them, which are piled outside the gate, said to be the responsibilities of the crowd itself. No food or water bottles allowed. The strictness is to such a limit that one can't buy a plastic bottle inside. At some point it may look like business, because yes, everything you touch is overpriced, but the strategy is no doubt to avoid what happened in SaltLake Yuvabharati Krirangan during the Messi tour! What happened in the Messi tour? A classic example of poor crowd management Yuvabharati Krirangan probably hasn't taken the lesson from what happened in Eden Gardens during the 1996 Cricket World Cup semifinal or the 1999 India-Pakistan Test match. Today, Kolkata was brewing with the Lionel Messi hype. The chill breezes could not beat the fans to hit the stadium, who had already started arriving by 7 am. However, the star footballer had to leave within 10 minutes of his stay. Notably, he was surrounded by the a group of people and camerapersons. Messi was almost unrecognizable for the fans. No doubt that the ticket prices of Salt Lake Stadium were sky-high just to have a glimpse of their man walking around. Well, after Messi left, fans, in rage, threw bottles from the stadium, bottles they bough from the stadium with five times more price. The situation got worse as plastic bottles were heaved at the sprinting track of the multisport stadium. #MessiInIndiaMessi came for 5 minutes and went back People turning violent in Salt Lake stadium Throwing bottles,belt, chairs and breaking hoarding.#Messi𓃵 #goattourindia pic.twitter.com/RsURsDuo1c — Uttam Raghab (@jnrVENOM) December 13, 2025 🚨Breaking news from Kolkata -Messi left the ground, fans couldn't even see him , they are throwing bottles at the ground.Messi were at the Salt Lake Stadium for 20 min & all the VIPs took selfie with him & normal fans didn't even get a glimpse.pic.twitter.com/yUsrQMrjeX — Sohel. (@SohelVkf) December 13, 2025 The fans complained about the ministers being busy clicking photos with Messi- a very known scenario of what happened with the winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru team at Vihana Soudha. The range went sky high; they started slogan pelting again against the state's sports minister, Arup Biswas, asking for refunds. The situation tensed as the public climbed down the gallery and vandalized the stadium. Sofas were burnt, and the stage was attacked and demolished! They even started uprooting the seats and threw inside the stadium. Bengal, who was comparing a few months back on their crowd management policy compared with the RCB massacre, witnessed almost the same shameful situation in front of the global star. After coming out, many complained the price of the ticket did not justify the experience—and its not wrong at all! Spending at least Rs 3000 and not even getting to see him was a "scam" to many. Cheif minister Mamata Banerjee apologized. Following the vandalization, the chief Minister of Mamata Banerjee expressed his concern and wrote on his X handle, “I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi." She added, “I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident." Moreover, the Chief Minister announced an enquiry committee to probe the chaos. Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray will chair the panel, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department as members. The committee will investigate the incident, fix responsibility, and suggest steps to prevent such occurrences in the future. She also extended her heartfelt apologies to sports lovers once again. History of Chaos in Eden Gardens 1996 World Cup semi-final: India vs Sri Lanka The most infamous episode of crowd chaos at Eden Gardens unfolded during the 1996 Cricket World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka. Chasing a modest target, India suffered a dramatic batting collapse, triggering anger and frustration among the spectators. As wickets kept falling, the crowd began throwing water bottles, shoes, and other solid objects onto the field. Matters worsened when sections of the stands were set on fire. With player safety at serious risk and the atmosphere turning hostile by the minute, match referee Clive Lloyd had no option but to abandon the game. Sri Lanka were declared the winner, making it one of the rare occasions in cricket history where a World Cup knockout match was decided due to crowd behavior. 1999 India–Pakistan Test: Tendulkar run-out controversy Another tense moment came during the 1999 Test match between India and Pakistan at Eden Gardens. The flashpoint was the controversial run-out of Sachin Tendulkar following a collision with Shoaib Akhtar. The decision enraged the home crowd, who felt their hero had been unfairly dismissed. Soon after, spectators began hurling bottles, debris, and even burning paper onto the field. The situation spiralled out of control, forcing authorities to take the extreme step of evacuating nearly the entire stadium. Play eventually resumed in front of empty stands, under heavy security, highlighting the severity of the unrest. 1967 India vs West Indies Test unrest Eden Gardens also witnessed crowd trouble much earlier, during the 1967 Test match between India and the West Indies. Tensions built up over umpiring decisions and India’s struggles in the match. On New Year’s Day, spectator anger spilled onto the field, leading to disturbances serious enough that play for the day had to be called off. While detailed records are limited compared to later incidents, it remains one of the earliest examples of crowd behaviour at Eden Gardens directly affecting a Test match schedule.