Chaos During Messi Event in Kolkata Disappointing, Hurts India’s Image: Bhaichung Bhutia

Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Saturday expressed disappointment over the chaos witnessed at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium during an event attended by Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, saying poor organisation prevented genuine fans from seeing their idol and damaged the country’s image.

Bhutia was speaking to reporters at Raipur airport after returning from Jagdalpur, where he attended the closing ceremony of the Bastar Olympic 2025 event.

Reacting to the incident in Kolkata, Bhutia said nearly 80,000 fans had turned up for the event, but many were left frustrated.
“It is a bit disappointing because I heard that around 80,000 fans turned up. Everybody loves Messi, but genuine fans did not really get to see him, which is very unfortunate,” he said.

He stressed that organisers must learn from the incident and ensure better planning in future.
“I hope the organisers learn a lesson and make sure such incidents do not happen again. It also spoils the country’s name,” Bhutia added.

Speaking to PTI Videos, the former India skipper said Messi’s visit was a positive initiative but was overshadowed by mismanagement.
“I think it was a very good visit, but unfortunately things did not go according to plan. What we saw and heard was that a lot of unwanted VIPs came to the stadium and surrounded Messi, while the genuine fans did not get to see him,” he said.

Bhutia pointed out that many fans had travelled long distances to witness the football icon.
“Fans came from very far away, including the Northeast and different parts of Bengal. When you pay and come to see Messi, whom people worship, and you don’t get to see him because of self-claimed VIPs surrounding him, it becomes very difficult,” he said.

On the overall state of football in India, Bhutia admitted that the sport is “not in great shape” at present, but expressed hope for improvement in the future.

He also praised the Bastar Olympic initiative in Chhattisgarh, calling it an effective way to connect youth—especially from Naxal-affected areas—with sports.
“Sports is the best medium to connect with the younger generation. It was a very good initiative,” he said, adding that he hoped talented sportspersons would emerge from Bastar in the coming years.

Noting that he belongs to a tribal community, Bhutia said tribal populations are naturally gifted in sports. Citing the Northeast as an example, he said 70–80 per cent of medal winners from the region are tribals, highlighting the vast untapped potential across India.