Salt Lake stadium was built in 1984 when the Maidan grounds proved to be too small to hold the football fans. Since then, it has been the home ground for both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Beautification and renovation for the stadium started anew in the Trinamool era. Everything was normal until the main gate got a ‘structure’ installed. A David Cronenberg-esque spectacle, visitors were left confused as to what this neo-modern art piece was supposed to convey.
After the BJP won the 2026 Bengal Assembly elections, Nishith Pramanik was elected to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. And recently, he declared the statue will be demolished as, “The weird, grotesque idol has no place in a stadium,”
My Kolkata spoke to football fans and others to find out what they thought of this decision…
“Terrible design. It was an eyesore. The city deserves something better. I am glad it is being demolished, and hope something meaningful will be constructed in its place.”
— Pranadhika Devburman Sinha, social activist
“The legs were cool, but the ball! Good riddance. I just hope they don’t take inspiration from the infamous Messi statue.”
— Sagnik Guha, works in finance sector
“It is ugly and creepy, and also feels unnecessary.”
— Dyuti Das, academic
“Horrible design, and a waste of taxpayers’ money. If they want to create something artistic, at least do it right.”
— Rahul Chakraborty, professional skater
“I’m all for demolishing structures or installations, eyesore or not, but I think it can be done with a bit more finesse. The blue globes with a bald spot where the Biswa Bangla logo used to be, looks very tacky.”
— Suneha Saha, food service consultant