After angry Lionel Messi fans went on a rampage at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, the BJP slammed the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government over mismanagement. The Kolkata event featuring the football icon turned out far from the spectacle it was supposed to be, as angry spectators went on a rampage, forcing the police to intervene.
“The incident today shows what the Trinamool Congress has turned Bengal into. The entire programme in West Bengal has been hijacked by Trinamool. Its leaders, right from Sujit Bose to Arup Biswas, are involved in this. There has also been black marketing of tickets. Those who threw bottles towards the field were also Trinamool supporters,” BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar said.
Amit Malviya also hit out at TMC leaders Sujit Bose and Aroop Biswas. “Such a huge disgrace in the heart of Kolkata will remain etched in the pages of history forever! Purely for political reasons, an internationally renowned player like Lionel Messi was brought to Kolkata after the installation of a bizarre 70-foot statue of him. People were then misled into purchasing tickets priced between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 and were brought to the venue. Due to extremely poor management, Messi was not even allowed to stay for the programme and was taken away. As a result, nothing occurred except a major scam. In anger, people poured onto the stadium grounds, vandalising chairs and tearing down posters. By God’s grace, no major tragedy occurred,” said Malviya.
BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya alleged that “some fraudsters, in their greed to mint money, created this situation”.
Stating that the entire responsibility for this mess lies with the state government, he alleged that TMC leaders indulged “greedy organisers, who were busy with self-publicity, depriving people who bought tickets of having a proper view of the football icon”.
Bhattacharya said that the incident tarnished the image of the state.
The TMC, meanwhile, blamed the organisers for the situation. “What happened at Salt Lake Stadium is unfortunate, disgraceful and condemnable,” said party leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh. “The shameful incident took place because of some people’s greed. It was a dream for many to see Messi. But those who had paid money to see him and were waiting in the galleries could not even catch a proper glimpse of their icon. Why were so many people crowding around him? Were they trying to showcase Messi to the crowd, or themselves? What was the organiser doing? Is the event only about making money?”
Ghosh also pointed out how fans were waiting since early morning to see Messi. He added that when the football star came in 2011, the system was more efficient. He emphasised that the situation was so bad this time that Messi had to leave the stadium even before West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could reach the venue.
Though Ghosh condemned the vandalisation of the stadium by fans, he empathised with them for being unable to see their icon despite buying expensive tickets. He called for strict action against the organisers.
CM Mamata has ordered an enquiry into the mismanagement and rampage, while apologising to Messi and football fans.
“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. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident. I am constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members. The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers,” said Mamata, who was to be at the Salt Lake Stadium along with Sourav Ganguly and Shah Rukh Khan, though Messi left before their arrival.
Messi’s brief visit to the city descended into chaos as angry fans broke security protocols after failing to catch even a glimpse of the world’s most popular footballer during his blink-and-miss 22-minute appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium in the morning.
Messi walked a short distance on the field and waved briefly towards the stands as chants of “Messi, Messi” echoed across the stadium.
Fans, however, soon realised that the footballer remained tightly ring-fenced by security and invited guests, making him barely visible from large sections of the galleries. Many complained that even the giant screens failed to offer a clear view.
Frustration mounted rapidly. Chants of “We want Messi” grew louder as it became evident that the Argentine star would not complete the full lap of the stadium that had been part of the original programme.
Instead, Messi turned back midway and was escorted out well before the scheduled end of his appearance.
