Explainer: Messi’s Kolkata appearance descends into chaos, raising questions over event management

The arrival of ‘God of Football’ Lionel Messi at the ‘Mecca of Indian Football’ should have been a memorable moment of the century in the history books. However, it ended up in a complete ‘mess’.

The latest incident involving the presence of Messi-- moving in a ring of security, surrounded by influential individuals trying to get clicked with him-- left the fans frustrated at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium). The anger was to such an extent that fans threw bottles and chairs, at a moment when they were expected to shower flowers for Messi’s arrival to the city.

Messi had earlier visited Kolkata in 2011, when he led Argentina against Venezuela in a FIFA international friendly. That match was an official exhibition aimed at promoting the sport. In contract, scenes on Saturday not only presented a poor picture, but also raised serious concerns over ‘professionalism’ among the organisers.

Messi was expected to stay on the field for nearly three hours, but he had to wind-up in just 25 minutes. While organisers initially cited an “uncontrollable crowd” as the reason for his early exit, pictures and videos circulating on social media depicted that VIP access was prioritised over fans, who had spent thousands of rupees to watch Messi in Kolkata.

Mediapersons said the long list of VIPs led to complete chaos at the spot. The craze to get clicked with him was such that even security personnel were caught arguing publicly.

“The public waited for hours, but VIPs were allowed to take pictures even before Messi entered the ground. During his lap on the field, he was constantly surrounded, making it difficult even for media cameras to capture him,” a West Bengal-based journalist said. “Those who spent thousands for tickets were at loggerheads, and so were many invitees.”

The organiser

Messi’s three-day visit to India as part of the GOAT Tour was organised by West Bengal-based sports promoter Satadru Dutta, under the banner of A Satadru Dutta Initiative (ASDI). Dutta, who hails from the industrial town of Rishra, has previously brought several football legends to the region.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, Dutta was arrested from an aircraft while accompanying Messi to the next stop of the tour in Hyderabad. A commerce graduate who began his career in finance, Dutta had earlier organised visits by Pele in 2015, Diego Maradona, Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning captain Cafu, and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, a member of the country’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad. His company has also facilitated appearances by Martinez and former Brazil striker Ronaldinho in Bangladesh.

In a social media post, Dutta claimed that bringing Messi to Kolkata took 993 days, 317 flights and months of working.