KOLKATA
: Almost everything that could have gone wrong at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday did, a TOI post-mortem conducted 24 hours after the massive Messi mess has revealed.
Eyewitnesses who had a ringside view of the chaos were near-unanimous about where it all began. Someone from the crowd of hangers-on accompanying politicians and organisers, positioned close to Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, kept pestering him for an autograph on a T-shirt when the pen scratched his body.
The incident immediately set off alarm bells within Messi’s security phalanx, who “suggested” that the arrangements were inadequate and that the situation could turn dangerous.
It was following this episode that Messi told event organiser Satadru Dutta — now in police custody — that he wanted to leave the stadium. The 60,000-odd spectators, unaware of what was unfolding behind the scenes, waited in vain for their idol to reappear and eventually vented their anger on the stadium and its furniture.
Officials handling the aftermath of the vandalism and violence — which left several policemen injured — again pointed to the liberal distribution of ‘VIP passes’ among netas, organisers and their extended entourages as the trigger for a cascading failure. One ‘VIP pass’ holder was even seen clutching Messi’s hand for a selfie when the football star was trying to wave at fans.
The situation spiralled rapidly, with people without tickets rushing into the stadium once trouble broke out.
In fact, the seeds of chaos had been sown much earlier. When the white Audi carrying Messi and his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul entered the stadium around 11.30 am, it was instantly swarmed by VIPs, politicians, police officers and their aides.
Messi, Suarez and De Paul struggled to even step out of the car as the security cordon buckled under the weight of selfie-seekers and autograph hunters.
For a brief while, Messi appeared relaxed, walking with his teammates to the centre circle, where former India internationals lined up to greet him. Former striker Dipendu Biswas said he touched Messi’s left foot and got a jersey signed by him. Mehtab Hossain, too, managed to get a shirt signed for his son.
Trouble escalated when politicians and some police personnel tried to push closer for selfies. “Some selfie-seekers began pushing and shoving him in a shocking manner,” a witness said. Messi looked visibly uncomfortable but tried to stay composed. “He is used to extreme adulation, but this was different. The nudging simply would not stop,” the witness added.
Despite repeated appeals for order by Dutta, the organiser, the crowd refused to relent. Cops stationed near the footballers, instead of shielding them, were seen taking selfies themselves. Several were spotted pushing Suarez and De Paul aside to get closer to Messi.
As Messi moved towards the ‘VIP gallery’, a woman rushed in for a photograph, triggering a crush. “I heard his manager say ‘vida’ (Spanish word for life) to Messi,” a witness recalled. “That’s when I realised Messi’s team sensed a serious threat to his safety and wanted to leave.”
What followed was total mayhem. Seats were ripped apart, iron fencing collapsed and thousands poured onto the pitch. A canopy and plush sofas meant for VIPs were set ablaze.
The administration has pegged the damage so far at Rs 2.5 crore, though officials said the figure is likely to rise as assessments continue. Bidhannagar police commissioner Mukesh said summons have been issued to several people involved in organising the event.
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