‘I regret bringing Messi to Kolkata. What if something happened to him?’ Satadru Dutta opens up on Salt Lake fiasco

Question: We had spoken a couple of weeks before the Messi event, and you passionately explained the effort that went into convincing Lionel Messi to come to India. At what point did you realise things were beginning to spiral towards a crisis, and what were the first warning signs that something was going wrong?

Satadru Dutta: First, let me brief you on a few points which fans should know. This event was a Z and Z-plus category event, and the Home Ministry provided the instructions for that security cover to the Bengal government. Interestingly, even after that, the Chief Minister herself was the chief guest, and she also had Z-plus security. As an event organiser, I completed every approval related to protection, licensing and permissions. We had at least 15 to 20 meetings with police officials. So from my side, all SOPs and protocols were followed. But I was never a law enforcer. I was only the organiser. If you see, this Z and Z-plus security can only be enforced by the administration and police department. So when I entered the ground with Messi, I immediately noticed many people inside who were not supposed to be there. As per the show flow discussed with the police, only a few people were allowed close to Messi: the young footballers for the handshake, the flag bearers, the kids doing small football activities, and then Mamata Banerjee, Shah Rukh Khan, Sourav Ganguly, myself, and two PR representatives. But when I entered, I saw at least 100 to 120 unsolicited people who were not part of the show flow and didn’t even have access cards. They started surrounding Messi and taking photos. The first thing I told the CP of Bidhannagar was, ‘Sir, how are these people here? They were not given access.’ Then the sports minister entered the ground despite not being part of the show flow. The first thing he did was touch Messi’s shoulder and waist while taking photos, which was very inappropriate. Messi’s manager immediately came to me and said, ‘This guy was not part of the show flow. Why is he here? Why are so many people here?’ I again requested the CP to remove those people.

The police and administration are responsible for that. If there was a flaw in my management, how did Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi run smoothly with the same team? In those cities, the governments and police followed the accreditation system, and the show flowed properly. Even in Delhi, despite the presence of high-profile people, nobody outside the approved list was allowed on the ground. Four days before the event, I personally went to the DG’s office with the Bidhannagar CP and ADG law and order and clearly explained how sensitive the event was. They assured me everything would be handled properly.

We held 16 to 20 meetings, took every permission and documented everything. But when things went wrong, I became the victim and scapegoat. Messi got upset when someone came inside taking selfies and even pushed Rodrigo De Paul. His manager kept asking how people who were not part of the show flow were entering the field. Messi had close to a billion dollars in insurance coverage. Imagine if something had happened to him on the ground, it would have become a national embarrassment. That’s why Messi’s team decided they could not continue because he doesn’t like claustrophobic situations where people crowd around him.

This was a complete failure of the police and administration. They formed a special investigation team, but only questioned me. I told them everything was already visible in the public domain and broadcast live. Why was the sports minister never questioned? Why were bureaucrats who entered the ground not questioned? That’s why I say the investigation was not impartial. How can police investigate their own colleagues? The Bidhannagar CP and DG were show-caused, yet the same CP was part of the investigation team.

Question: You hinted that political interference played a role in the fiasco. Did Aroop Biswas or people associated with him directly interfere in operational decisions during the event?

Satadru Dutta: The first thing he did was pressure me for extra access and accreditation cards for the ground, which I eventually refused to give. Then I was told there was ‘pressure’ and the event could face problems if I didn’t cooperate. My team handling accreditation was allegedly kept in a room for nearly an hour and told they wouldn’t be allowed to leave unless approval for additional cards was granted. That kind of pressure was created by the minister’s team and the Salt Lake authorities. We had issued 393 accreditation cards, all with designated zones approved by police and security authorities. Even I, as the promoter, was wearing an accreditation card. But the people who entered the ground didn’t have any cards. So how did the police allow them? If I were incapable, then how did the same team conduct Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi smoothly?

Question: After Kolkata, Lionel Messi travelled to Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi, where the events appeared far smoother despite the presence of political leaders and VIPs on the field. Your views on that?

Satadru Dutta: Absolutely. Every VIP acted in a mature way because they understood the situation. If you see Mumbai and Delhi, many Bollywood stars, Sachin Tendulkar and several high-profile personalities were present. The Chief Minister in Mumbai was very polished and polite. In Delhi too, Mr. Jaitley, Jay Shah and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta were present. Everybody behaved maturely. The problem in Calcutta was that we had an immature sports minister who used his power and clout and turned it into his own private show by taking pictures.

Also Read - Lionel Messi’s India tour through love and chaos: A nation enchanted, briefly disrupted

Question: Can you please shed light on what happened after the Kolkata event, how you were taken into custody, and what exactly unfolded during that period after Messi left abruptly?

Satadru Dutta: Basically, we left because Messi’s manager was no longer willing to continue on the ground after the situation became chaotic. When we reached the airport, the DG came there and said I should not be allowed to board the flight. Messi’s team itself was telling the police, ‘What is his fault? Call the minister.’ Those were the exact words they used. But in Bengal, they needed a scapegoat. They wanted to save themselves. Obviously, the police also wanted to protect themselves. came that scapegoat in order to save the government.

Question: You spent 38 days in custody after the controversy erupted. Did anyone from the government or administration privately reach out to you during that phase?

Satadru Dutta: No. I have always had faith in India's legal system. Once I got bail, I decided to proceed legally after consulting my lawyers. In Bengal, everything works through clout and pressure. They tried to push me into staying silent. But God is a leveller. Now I’ve got the chance to speak, and I’m not stopping.

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