Suvendu Adhikari outlines Bengal govt's big moves after last year's Lionel Messi tour chaos

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari called upon Sports Minister Indranil Khan to ensure state representatives join the national football team following the controversy surrounding Lionel Messi's visit to Salt Lake Stadium last December. Adhikari criticized the event as a "big scandal," stating that 33,000 young football fans were denied the opportunity to attend despite paying high ticket prices.

He announced an internal process to modernize football in the state, urging Khan to support state athletes in global tournaments like the Commonwealth Games and South Asian Federation (SAF) Games. Adhikari criticized the previous governments for politicizing sports and stated that sports organizations should not be controlled by politicians.

His government has allocated ₹400 crore for sports in the budget and aims to spend more. The Chief Minister also pledged to build indoor stadiums in all 294 Assembly constituencies, naming them after Sri Aurobindo. Adhikari lamented that the previous government's lack of support for budding athletes had hindered their progress and called for better motivation and opportunities for young talent to achieve success in international competitions.