Brazil celebrates a goal against Argentina in the Confederations Cup on Wednesday night. (AFP)

Adriano, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Robinho may have proved four much for the Argentine army on Wednesday night, but they couldn?t dodge past the cable-cut crooks in Calcutta.

Petty rivalry, not dues disputes, tripped thousands of television viewers, even as the Brazilian brigade was leading the Argentines on a merry Samba dance in the Confederations Cup final. A few minutes into the game and feeder cables of multi-system operators (MSOs) CableComm, Manthan and a portion of SitiCable were hacked in several parts of the city and its adjoining areas.

?Our main cable was cut at the crossing of Southern Avenue and Sarat Bose Road, affecting around 10,000 homes in areas like Bansdroni, Garia, New Alipore, Metiabruz and Mahestala,? said Raj Singh, a director of CableComm. There was another major disruption at Uttarpara that claimed households in Uttarpara, Dankuni and beyond, he added.

?Our cables were cut at eight places, including Garia, Kalighat, Triangular Park, Southern Avenue and Panditiya Road,? said Sudip Ghosh of Manthan. Around 20,000 subscribers were left in the lurch, the MSO claimed.

Purvalaya, a joint-venture partner of SitiCable, suffered as its wires were snapped at Ashoknagar, near Tollygunge tram depot, taking a toll on ?50,000 households?. Tapash Ray, a director of Purvalaya, was ?even gheraoed by irate viewers? denied their share of soccer magic.

Cable operators found themselves in the line of fire as a Brazilian frenzy gripped the city at midnight. ?It took us some time to detect where the problem was, resulting in precious minutes of the match being lost. There was major agitation at the control rooms of some of our operators,? said Sanjay Chowdhury of a unit under Manthan in the Garia station area.

Some operators scrambled for alternative beam but the rest could only offer blank screens. And in many areas, the problem persisted till late on Thursday. Rivalry among MSOs is the prime suspect for the latest cable crime. Acrimony between factions of SitiCable, which recently bought Indian Cable Net, is also to be blamed, feel industry veterans. ?Instead of more operators joining SitiCable after the buyout, several have announced plans of leaving and forming their own companies or have migrated to rival MSOs,? observed a market watcher.

And what better sabotage time than Samba time? While the MSOs have approached the administration ? CableComm has written to deputy commissioner I (detective department) and superintendent of police (Hooghly), while Manthan has appealed to the commissioner of police and local police stations ? they agree that only some unity on the ground can prevent a replay.