Bhaichung Bhutia calls chaos at Messi’s Kolkata event ‘disappointing’

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia expressed disappointment over the chaos at a stadium in Kolkata during an event attended by Argentinian football icon Lionel Messi on Saturday, December 13, 2025, and said organizers should ensure that such incidents are not repeated as it damages the image of the country.

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

Asked about the incident at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, he said: “It was a bit disappointing because I heard that around 80,000 fans came. Everyone loves Messi but the real fans couldn’t see him, which is very unfortunate.”

He hoped that organizers learn a lesson and ensure such a situation does not occur again, he said, adding, “It also spoils the country’s name.”

I’m talking PTI In the videos, Bhutia said Messi’s visit was a good initiative but was marred by poor organization that prevented real fans from seeing their idol.

“I think it was a very good visit, but unfortunately things did not go as planned. I think the organizers were under a lot of pressure. We saw and heard a lot of unwanted VIPs coming to the stadium and surrounding Messi, while the real fans could not see him. I hope this kind of incident does not happen,” he said.

“The organizers must ensure that real fans see their real idols and football heroes. Every fan will be very upset because some of them have come from far away. We have seen many fans coming from the Northeast, even from Bengal. When you come to see Messi, whom people adore, and you cannot see him because of a lot of undesirable, self-proclaimed VIPs surrounding him, then it becomes very difficult,” he added.

When asked about the football scene in India, Bhutia said that it was “not doing very well right now” but hoped it would improve in the future.

He also praised the ‘Bastar Olympics’ event in Chhattisgarh and said that it was a good initiative to introduce sports to youth, especially in Naxal-affected areas.

“Sports is the best tool to connect with the young generation. It was a very good initiative. I hope we can see good athletes coming out of Chhattisgarh, especially Bastar, in the coming years,” Bhutia said.

Stating that he also belongs to the tribal community, the former captain of the Indian football team said that tribal communities are naturally talented in sports. He said the Northeast is an example, where 70 to 80 percent of medalists from the region are tribals.