Shagotom. That's Bengali for welcome. I've never actually been told that by a Bengali, but for a month, the City of Joy will open its arms wide, ushering in a festival.
No, not the yearly Durga Puja festivities. The football festival trumps all others in West Bengal. And the FIFA U-17 World Cup has brought people from different walks of life together to celebrate the beautiful game.
As we watch the Mexican boys train, a colleague spots a bald-headed man in a white shirt and black shorts slip past the media unnoticed.
Pierluigi Collina, it turned out to be. For the uninitiated, he's a referee. But not just any ref. He's THE ref.
Pierluigi Collina watching referee fitness at SAI complex in Kolkata | Salil Bera
Blast, if only we got to meet the legend. We desperately tried, but failed.
Now why would we run after a ref, when there are players and coaches to ogle at?
Collina is regarded as one of the greatest and most respected refs of all time. The man is basically the Maradona (or Pele, if that’s how you want it) of refereeing.
Okay, I’ll tell you what’s so great about him. He refereed the 2002 World Cup final between Germany and Brazil, and Manchester United’s beloved 1999 Champions League final and was named FIFA’s best referee for SIX consecutive years (1998-2003).
Now that I’ve established his credentials, you gotta admit he’s a pretty big deal. But no, nobody (except us) recognised him and we were repeatedly denied access to meet him.
Collina is here to train the referees for the tournament and pass on his sagely advice to Indian referees as well. He heads/advises several referee associations in Europe.
In his heyday, he was a monster on the field, who often sent the most hot-headed players running for cover. He took none of their nonsense. But he also earned their respect, because he respected them and could officiate matches leaving very little margin for errors.
Fun fact, Collina was nicknamed "Kojak". Bald, piercing eyes and possessing a flair for taking on the bad boys, he resembled the title character of Kojak, the hit American series.
So, spotting Kojak dada marked the beginning of my sojourn in this hallowed football-crazy city.
As I sit here munching on an egg roll (a weakness of mine), I look around and see how the city has embraced the upcoming event. Crowds gather outside the practice grounds and the stadium, to catch a glimpse of the teenage stars and to collect their tickets, while little boys run around begging security guards to watch the players in action. The football fever is best witnessed on these streets that nurtured the best of the famed Bengali football clubs.
As we leave one training session, a senior police officer who had earlier frisked us thoroughly, walked up to me and ask me with the gravest of expressions something in Bengali. I thought I was in trouble, but then I picked up one word—“Argentina”.
“Argentina didn’t qualify for the tournament,” I reply in Hindi. But, on probing further, I realise he’s talking about the Argentina senior team. The senior squad, with Lionel Messi et al, are preparing to face Peru in a 2018 World Cup qualifier, in another part of the world. It’s a crucial game, because if Argentina lose or draw the match, it would find itself in a tricky position and might have to fight for the last available spot in a play-off match against New Zealand. By Argentina standards, that’s humiliating.
“Imagine Argentina in a play-off!”, he tells me, with a look of disgust. I shake my head in agreement and walk away. Football crazy, indeed.
