A once-in-a-lifetime event turned to frustration central on Saturday for thousands of fans of Lionel Messi who had thronged the Swami Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan aka Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata for a glimpse of their idol.
One young fan from Behala recalled his experience in conversation with My Kolkata. The fan and three of his friends had woken up before sunrise to secure a glimpse of the football legend from Argentina.
“I woke up at 6am to see him. There were four of us and we paid Rs 10,333 each so Rs 41,332 in total. One of my friends came all the way from Kalyani and left her house at 5am. And for all that, we couldn’t even see him properly for ten minutes,” said the 26-year-old fan.
The World Cup-winning Argentina captain arrived at the stadium around 11.30am, accompanied by long-time strike partner Luis Suárez and Argentine teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
Messi’s vehicle was parked near the touchline and as soon as he stepped onto the field he was engulfed by a crush of VIPs, organisers, celebrities and security personnel, leaving ordinary spectators in the galleries straining for a view.
The star footballer walked a short distance on the field and waved briefly towards the stands as chants of "Messi, Messi" echoed across the stadium.
Messi 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.
As word spread that Messi had left the field prematurely, anger spilt over.
Bottles began flying from the galleries onto the pitch, followed by plastic chairs. Sponsor banners and hoardings were torn down, fibreglass seats smashed, and sections of the crowd attempted to rip open barricades to force their way onto the field.
Amid the growing unrest, sections of the crowd raised slogans demanding the arrest of state Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas and event organiser Satadru Datta, holding them responsible for what they alleged was gross mismanagement of the high-profile event, eyewitnesses said.
They also said the situation worsened when organisers, including promoter Shatadru Datta and his team, were no longer visible on the ground soon after Messi’s exit.
Repeated announcements over the public address system asking unauthorised persons to leave the field went largely unheeded. Angry fans continued shouting slogans against the organisers and the state sports department.
Within minutes, hundreds of spectators spilt onto the pitch, pulling down temporary tents and damaging equipment placed near the boundary line.
Police personnel struggled to contain the surging crowd, prompting the deployment of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) inside the stadium.
Hopes of spotting Shah Rukh Khan had added to the anticipation of the 26-year-old from Behala, but even that ended in frustration. “We heard an announcement that he would come, but we never saw him,” he said.
The match itself was brief and confusing.
“I don’t even know what match it was or who played,” the fan from Behala said. “It lasted just a few minutes. When Messi arrived, the people around him surrounded him so tightly that no one could get a proper look. When he left, the police said he would come back so we thought maybe he was taking a short break; but he never came again.”
As it became clear that Messi was gone, the crowd erupted.
Water bottles and chairs flew, people forced their way into the ground and police had to lathi charge.
“I even kicked the sound system. We started breaking chairs. The RAF was deployed. We paid so much money, what for? Even if it was only for a few minutes, we should have been able to see him properly.”
Even the police acknowledged the mismanagement, the fan said.
“When we were leaving, the policemen told us it was the management’s fault and they would have to face consequences. They said if there had been four people surrounding Messi, everyone would have had a proper view.”
Overpriced tickets and food only worsened the anger. Water bottles were sold for Rs 150 and 100 ml glasses of cold drinks went for Rs 200.
Eventually, frustration boiled over, and some fans vandalised and looted the stalls as well.
One man was spotted walking out of the stadium with a rolled-up carpet on his shoulder. When questioned, his frustration spilled out: "I didn’t get to see Messi. All I saw were ministers. I’m taking the carpet home to practise."
“This was complete mismanagement,” Ajay Shah, a disgruntled fan who had come with his son, told PTI.
“People have spent a month’s salary to see Messi. I paid Rs 5,000 for a ticket. We came to watch Messi, not politicians. There was no drinking water, and even the police were busy taking selfies," he said.
Ticket prices for the event ranged between Rs 4,500 and Rs 10,000, with many fans arriving early in the morning in the hope of witnessing the football legend up close.
The chaos also forced the abrupt curtailment of the programme, with several invited dignitaries, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, unable to participate as planned.
Police sources told PTI that the situation did not fully spiral out of control only because Messi was removed from the stadium earlier than scheduled and additional security forces were rushed in.
(with inputs from PTI)