Kolkata’s image takes hit globally after chaos at Messi event

Chaos and vandalism during Lionel Messi’s event at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium drew widespread international media attention, with major global outlets highlighting mismanagement and crowd unrest, raising concerns over the city’s global image and event-handling capabilities.

Kolkata: After the chaos at Yuva Bharati Krirangan, also known as Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata during Lionel Messi’s event, the image of Kolkata has taken a beating on the international stage as the vandalism made headlines in major newspapers and media houses across the world.

From the US ‘The New York Times’ to the UK’s ‘The Guardian’ and ‘BBC’, the chaos and vandalism found a mention there. The incident was also reported in the Spanish and French media.

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The headline in the New York Times read, “Lionel Messi’s India tour organiser ‘detained’, says police after ‘deeply disturbing chaos’. When that report was written, the organiser of Messi’s ‘Goat India Tour’, Satadru Dutta, had not yet been arrested. The police had only detained him at first. Later, Satadru was arrested.

In a lengthy report, the ‘New York Times’ described the events at Yuva Bharati. They wrote that Messi was barely visible. Where he was supposed to be at Yuva Bharati for more than an hour, security guards quickly escorted him off the field.

West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar’s statement and Governor C.V. Ananda Bose’s press conference were also included in their report. The report also mentioned Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s apology regarding the incident and the formation of an inquiry committee. The New York Times also noted state Sports Minister Arup Biswas’s comment, “I will not say anything.”

The American newspaper also included a reference to cricket in its report, writing that Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, has a significant number of football fans. Yet, cricket is the most popular sport in India.

The BBC’s headline read, “Angry fans throw chair and bottles at Messi event in Kolkata.” In its report, the BBC wrote that officials and politicians surrounded Messi to such an extent that he became annoyed after a short time. After being on the field for only 22 minutes, Messi was taken away for security reasons. This caused the crowd at Yuva Bharati to become aggressive, and they started throwing chairs and bottles.

The BBC report stated that Messi’s visit to India was marked by chaos in Kolkata. Some people had bought tickets for Rs 12,000 just to catch a glimpse of Messi, but he was barely visible from most parts of the stadium.

The BBC report also mentioned Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s apology, stating that she was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the incident.

The Yuva Bharati incident also made headlines in the media of Spain and France, the two countries where Messi has played club football. The Spanish sports daily ‘Marca’ ran the headline, “Absolute Chaos”. They wrote that the Inter Miami player entered the field but left within just 22 minutes. The fans had spent thousands of rupees just to see him.

The French daily ‘L’Equipe’ headlined the Yuva Bharati incident as “Disturbing”. They wrote that Messi was on a promotional tour. The crowd surrounding him led to extreme frustration among the spectators. The experience at the stadium was traumatic for the fans.

Many are saying that West Bengal, and Kolkata in particular, has become a topic of discussion on the international stage after a long time and for the wrong reasons.