• Messi received 890 million rupees (around 10.8 million USD)
• Tour witnessed massive crowds and wide controversy over organization

The organizer of Argentine star Lionel Messi’s tour revealed the details of the amounts the player received during his three-day visit to India, which began with a chaotic welcome in Kolkata.

Also read: Massive public anger at Messi during his tour

The tour included Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi, accompanied by teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, and Messi participated in public events before also visiting Jamnagar in Gujarat, where the tour concluded.

Organizer Satadru Dutta explained that Messi received 890 million rupees (around 10.8 million USD), with the Indian government collecting 110 million rupees (about 1.34 million USD) in taxes.

Total expenditure for the tour reached 1,000 million rupees (around 12.1 million USD), 30% funded by sponsors and 30% from ticket sales.

Salt Lake Stadium saw the attendance of thousands of spectators who purchased high-priced tickets, but Messi was surrounded by crowds on the pitch, making him barely visible from the stands.

This led to some spectators vandalizing parts of the stadium.

The West Bengal government formed a special team including senior police officers to investigate acts of vandalism and security failures during the event.

Dutta mentioned that the number of initial entry passes was only 150, but it tripled after the arrival of a very influential person, affecting crowd control.

The organizer also noted that Messi does not like to be touched or hugged, a point previously communicated by his foreign security team, but the player was hugged by fans and had to leave the event early.

Photos showed Sports Minister Arab Biswas very close to Messi, even holding him around the waist for pictures, which led to criticism and his resignation during the investigation.

Dutta revealed that over 200 million rupees (around 2.43 million USD) were found in his frozen accounts, believed to come from ticket sales and sponsors, although authorities have not verified the accuracy of these funds.