Messi’s Kolkata event messed up; organiser held, Didi apologises

What was meant to be a celebratory event around football icon Lionel Messi descended into chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Saturday after spectators resorted to vandalism on failing to catch a glimpse of their hero, alleging gross mismanagement by the organisers and obstruction of views by VIPs.

The unrest broke out soon after Messi left the venue much earlier than scheduled, triggering scenes of spectators uprooting plastic chairs, hurling bottles onto the pitch and attempting to breach barricades.

Some people, including police personnel, were reported injured, though no fatalities occurred.

The police arrested the event's prime organiser, Satadru Datta, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to Messi and sports lovers and announced a high-level inquiry into the gross mismanagement.

The incident exposed the under-preparedness of the city's police and administration to host an event that aimed to showcase the world's most popular footballer, his long-time strike partner Luis Suarez and Argentine teammate Rodrigo De Paul, as spectators were left frustrated by a rush of VIPs onto the field that obstructed their view.

The incident also triggered a political slugfest, with almost all parties slamming the organisers for their “ill-conceived event”.

The unfortunate turn of events brought back memories of the stampede incident outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium in June where a crowd crush during celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden Indian Premier League title win resulted in the death of 11 persons.

The World Cup-winning captain and his entourage arrived at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan around 11.30 am and, as he stepped onto the field, he was encircled by VIPs, organisers, celebrities and security personnel.

Messi walked a short distance on the pitch and waved briefly towards the stands amid chants of "Messi, Messi".

Fans, however, soon realised that he remained tightly cordoned off and barely visible from large sections of the stadium as even the giant screens failed to provide a clear view. Frustration mounted when Messi turned back midway and was escorted out well before the scheduled end of his appearance.

As word spread that the star had left prematurely, anger spilt over and the fans went on a rampage.

Protesters raised slogans demanding the arrest of Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, who was seen in close proximity to Messi all through his on-field appearance and clicked pictures with the star, and the event's chief organiser Satadru Datta, accusing them of gross mismanagement.

Spectators said they shelled out between Rs 4,000 and Rs 15,000 per ticket to witness the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner up close.

“This was complete mismanagement…. I paid Rs 5,000 for a ticket. We came to watch Messi, not politicians,” said Ajay Shah, a football enthusiast who had come with his son.

The chaos forced an abrupt curtailment of the programme, with several invited dignitaries, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and the CM, unable to participate as planned.

Meanwhile, taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, the police arrested the event's prime organiser for alleged "mismanagement". The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, DGP Rajeev Kumar said.

Stating that it was a dark day for the sports-loving people of Kolkata, Governor CV Ananda Bose said that while the organisers of the event are to be blamed squarely for the situation, it is also the police that has failed the government, the people and CM Banerjee, who is also the Home Minister.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said he empathised with the crowd anger. BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya alleged that "some fraudsters, in their greed to mint money, created this situation".