KOLKATA: Almost everything that could have possibly gone wrong at Salt Lake stadium on Saturday went wrong, as revealed by a post-mortem by TOI 24 hours after the massive Messi mess.Those who had a ringside view of how the mayhem unfolded were near-unanimous about the origin of the trouble. Someone from the crowd of hangers-on of the politicians and the organisers, who were near Argentine soccer icon Lionel Messi, was pestering him for an autograph on a T-shirt when the pen scratched his body.
That immediately alerted Messi's security phalanx, who "suggested" that security was not up to the mark and things could get dangerous for him. It was after this incident that Messi told event organiser Satadru Dutta, now in police custody, that he wanted to leave the stadium. The 60,000-odd spectators, who were in the dark about what was going on, vented their ire on the stadium and its furniture after waiting in vain for their idol to come out again.
Officials dealing with the aftermath of the vandalism and violence, which left several cops injured, were again near-unanimous that liberal distribution of 'VIP passes' to netas and organisers and their extended clans triggered a chain of events leading to the disaster.
A 'VIP pass' holder was seen clutching at Messi's hand for a selfie when the football star wanted to wave at his fans.Things then worsened superfast, with people who did not have tickets rushing into the stadium after the trouble started.Chaos, however, had begun much earlier. When the white Audi carrying Messi and his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul entered the stadium at 11.30 am, it was immediately surrounded by VIPs, politicians, police officers and those accompanying them. Messi, Suarez and De Paul struggled to step out of the car as the cordon collapsed under the weight of people desperate for a picture, a selfie or an autograph. For a short while, Messi appeared cheerful, walking alongside 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, got a shirt signed by Messi for his son. Trouble began when politicians and some cops tried to push closer for selfies with Messi. "Some selfie-seekers began pushing and shoving him in a shocking manner," one witness said. Messi appeared uncomfortable but tried to remain composed. "He is used to extreme adulation, but this was different. The nudging simply would not stop," a witness said. Dutta, the organiser of the event, repeatedly appealed for order, but his requests were ignored.
Cops around the footballers, instead of shielding them from the disorderly crowd, were busy taking selfies with Messi. Many were seen pushing Suarez and De Paul aside to get closer to Messi. When Messi was moving 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 said. "That's when I realised Messi's team sensed a serious threat to his safety and wanted to leave." Moments later, chaos erupted: seats were ripped off, iron fencing collapsed, and thousands surged onto the pitch. A canopy and sofas for VIPs were set on fire. The administration has so far assessed damage worth Rs 2.5 crore. Officials said the figure would rise as assessment was still on. Bidhannagar commissioner Mukesh said summons have been issued to several people involved in organising the event.
