Different rules for different people. That's the question being asked as the city still reels from the after-effects of the Lionel Messi flop show at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
While packed water bottles are banned inside the stadium premises since the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, that protocol was not followed during the Saturday event.
After Messi cut short his stay at the stadium — he was there for just 22 minutes — upset fans started raining water bottles onto the ground. One such bottle had missed the under-fire sports minister Aroop Biswas by a whisker.
"Who allowed water bottles to be sold inside the stadium? The state government does not allow that during ISL matches... Once, we were told the fans could drink tap water when we all know that's not potable water. Pouches are allowed, but for a stadium which can accommodate 65000 spectators, the number of outlets are too less," an official, who oversees matches for a top-rung ISL club but did not wish to be named, told The Telegraph on Sunday.
An ISL club — Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Emami East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting — spends around ₹26 lakh per match. For the stadium rent, the club pays ₹12.90 lakh, ₹9 lakh for generator fees since the matches are played under the lights and ₹3 lakh to provide refreshments for around 230 security personnel. The expense under the refreshment head is generally for a derby match since there are extra security personnel and more senior government and police officials. "Add to that ₹10 lakh as security deposit," the club official said.
Another club official alleged that the state government becomes extra vigilant when it comes to domestic matches, but flouted rules on Saturday. "The dos and don'ts are being constantly told to us when we are responsible and experienced enough to know those. Strangely, rules were flouted during the Messi event," another club official alleged.
"Before every match, the law enforcement authority tells us to give guidelines for the fans. At every stand inside the stadium, we put up flex banners listing the guidelines," he informed.
The presence of a large posse of hangers-on from the moment Messi arrived at the stadium and their uncouth behaviour for selfies with the football's biggest superstar also drew a lot of flak. Most of the hangers-on had access to the field as they flaunted the Field of Play (FOP) passes.
"For an ISL match, maybe five or four FOPs for two participating teams are issued by the authorities," another club official said.
Reputation tarnished
As the stadium counts the losses, there is a fear that Calcutta may not see international football in the near future.
"The image has been tarnished beyond repair. This has been one of the premier footballing centres in South Asia. Now we do not know whether international teams will agree to play here," said Anirban Dutta, secretary of the Indian Football Association, which runs the game in the state.
When Zico-coached Japan played a World Cup qualifier at the stadium in September 2004, the floodlight snag that led to a stoppage grabbed headlines. "That was 21 years back. In this age of social media, visuals dictate narratives. Also, the Mamata Banerjee-led government in the state and the BJP government in New Delhi are at loggerheads over a lot of issues. Politics will surely play a part," a senior football administrator warned.
Kalyan Chaubey, a state BJP leader who also heads the All India Football Federation, voiced his displeasure about the mismanagement. "It looked more like the sports minister's event," he alleged.
Indian club football has come to a standstill due to legal wranglings, even though there is hope that it can restart in the next 45 days.
The Big Three of Indian football play their home matches at the stadium. It would take time to repair the damage. "I think derbies will be a problem for the time being. Other matches can be organised," Debabrata Sarkar, senior East Bengal official, said.
