Bhaichung Bhutia slams VIP culture as fans miss out on Messi in Kolkata | WATCH

Kolkata: Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has expressed disappointment over the chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata during an event featuring Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, saying organisers must ensure such incidents do not recur, as they harm the country’s image.

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

What went wrong at Messi’s Kolkata event?

Bhutia said the Messi event in Kolkata was marred by poor organisation, despite a massive turnout of around 80,000 fans. “Knowing that Messi is worshipped in Kolkata and in India, when they get disappointed paying such a high-price and coming from such faraway places, I think it's very disappointing,” he said.

He added that the presence of unnecessary VIPs surrounding Messi prevented real fans from meeting their idol. “I think the organisers did their best, but sometimes it gets out of control, especially VIP culture - it becomes very difficult even to the organisers to stop a lot of VIPs who are not supposed to be there as well, I think they entered and crowded. The genuine fans did not really get to see Messi. So, I think that was where the fans were very upset. Hopefully, I think these kinds of mistakes don't happen,” Bhutia said.

The former India captain emphasised that Messi’s visit was a good initiative but poor crowd management and chaotic arrangements spoiled the experience. He hoped organisers would learn a lesson and ensure such a situation does not happen again, saying it also spoils India’s image internationally.

How can sports help India’s youth, especially in tribal regions?

Bhutia also spoke about the Bastar Olympic 2025 in Chhattisgarh, praising it as a good initiative to connect youth from Naxal-affected areas with sports. “Sports is the right medium to connect with the younger generation. I hope in the coming years we will see talented sportspersons emerging from Chhattisgarh, especially from Bastar,” he said.

Noting that he himself belongs to a tribal community, Bhutia said tribal communities are naturally gifted in sports. He cited the Northeast of India as an example, where 70 to 80 percent of medal winners come from tribal backgrounds.