According to a fresh report on Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium pandemonium, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly attempted to prevent football icon Lionel Messi from leaving the pitch, but Messi’s staff refused.
According to an ABP Ananda report, Sourav Ganguly asked Messi to remain for a bit so that visitors to the field may watch him.
However, Messi’s squad refused to compromise on security, according to the article.
“Despite Sourav’s appeal, Messi reportedly opted to leave the field. According to reports, entrepreneur Satdru Dutta also sought Messi. Some administrative officials were also there at the time. However, given the current state of law and order, Messi’s squad refused to take the chance, according to reports.
Kolkata Salt Lake Stadium pandemonium
On Saturday, what was supposed to be a joyful gathering for Lionel Messi turned into turmoil at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium.
The situation deteriorated as fans turned to vandalism when the paying public failed to see the football legend. They accused the organizers of terrible mismanagement and VIPs obstructing public sight.
About 50,000 people, many of whom had paid ₹4,000 to ₹12,000 (and in some instances up to ₹20,000 on the black market), watched helplessly as a swarm of politicians, VVIPs, and security officers created a human barrier around Messi, ensuring that the public saw everything but Messi.
The commotion began shortly after Messi departed the site, considerably earlier than expected, with people uprooting plastic chairs, tossing bottles into the ground, and trying to break the barriers.
Some individuals, including police officers, were hurt, but no one died, said to news agency PTI.
Satadru Datta, the event’s key organizer, was detained by police, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the formation of a high-level investigative commission to look into the incident.
Messi’s much-anticipated visit to Salt Lake Stadium here on Saturday lasted 22 minutes.
Messi’s second visit to Kolkata, part of a four-city India tour that would also include stops in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi, came against the background of the Indian football team’s worrying fall to 142nd in the current FIFA rankings, its lowest since October 2016.
CM Mamata Banerjee is ‘very startled’
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was “very upset and dismayed” by the mishandling that occurred today at Salt Lake Stadium.
In a post on X, the CM said, “I truly regret to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports aficionados and his admirers, for the terrible occurrence.”
She said that she is “forming an inquiry committee under the leadership of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members.”
“The committee will undertake a thorough investigation into the incident, determine culpability, and suggest actions to avoid such situations in the future,” Banerjee said.
“Once again, I sincerely apologize to all sports fans,” Banerjee said.
