Fans Go On Rampage, Messi's Kolkata Tour Turns 'Messy'

Lionel Messi's much-hyped visit to the Salt Lake Stadium here on Saturday lasted 22 minutes, just enough to underline everything that is wrong in Indian football and the state administration's mismanagement.

- Tapan Mohanta

What was billed as a historic celebration of the game's greatest icon degenerated into a spectacular breakdown of planning, policing and priorities, as angry fans ran riot at the venue after failing to get even a glimpse of their favourite superstar from Argentina.

The chaos was almost ironic.

Messi's second visit to Kolkata -- part of a four-city India tour with Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi to follow -- came against the backdrop of the Indian football team's alarming slide to 142nd in the latest FIFA rankings, its lowest since October 2016.

Arguably the greatest player of all time, Messi arrived just as the sport in the country hit rock bottom, with the domestic calendar in limbo and governance in disarray, and the events at the Salt Lake Stadium summed it up better than any ranking ever could.

What was meant to be a red letter day for the City of Joy turned into a nightmare by noon.

About 50,000 spectators, many of whom had paid Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,000 -- and in some cases up to Rs 20,000 in the black market -- watched helplessly as a swarm of politicians, VVIPs, security personnel, and assorted hangers more interested in selfies than crowd control surrounded Messi.

The buildup had been electrifying with fans spending sleepless nights to catch his midnight arrival and then making a beeline to the stadium from early morning.

The gates were opened at 8am.