5 months ago
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Former India skipper Bhaichung Bhutia connected Saturday (December 13, 2025) expressed disappointment implicit the chaos astatine a stadium successful Kolkata during an lawsuit attended by Argentine shot icon Lionel Messi, and said organisers should guarantee that specified incidents bash not recur arsenic they wounded the country's image.
Bhutia was talking to reporters astatine the airdrome successful Raipur aft returning from Jagdalpur wherever helium attended the closing ceremonial of Bastar Olympic 2025 event.
Asked astir the incidental astatine Salt Lake stadium successful Kolkata, helium said, "It is simply a spot disappointing due to the fact that I heard that astir 80,000 fans turned up. Everybody loves Messi, but genuine fans did not truly get to spot him, which is precise unfortunate."
He hoped that organisers larn a acquisition and guarantee specified a concern does not hap again, helium said, adding, "It besides spoils the country's name."
Talking to PTI Videos, Bhutia said Messi's sojourn was a bully inaugural but was marred by mediocre organisation which prevented genuine fans from seeing their idol.
"I deliberation it was a precise bully visit, but unluckily things did not spell according to plan. I deliberation the organisers were nether immense pressure. What we saw and heard was that a batch of unwanted VIPs came to the stadium and surrounded Messi, portion the genuine fans did not get to spot him. I anticipation this benignant of incidental does not happen," helium said.
"The organisers should marque definite that the genuine fans should really get to spot their existent idol and shot hero. Every instrumentality is going to get precise upset, due to the fact that immoderate person travel from precise acold away. We saw that galore fans came from the Northeast arsenic well, and adjacent from Bengal. When you wage and travel to spot Messi, whom radical worship, and you don't get to spot him due to the fact that of a batch of unwanted, self-claimed VIPs surrounding him, past it becomes precise difficult," helium added.
Asked astir the shot country successful India, Bhutia said it was "not successful large shape" astatine present, "but hopefully successful aboriginal its volition get sorted".
He besides praised the `Bastar Olympic' lawsuit successful Chhattisgarh, terming it a bully inaugural to link youth, peculiarly from Naxal- affected areas, with sports.
"Sports is the champion mean to link with the younger generation. It was a precise bully initiative. I anticipation successful the coming years we volition beryllium capable to spot bully sportspersons emerging from Chhattisgarh, specially from Bastar," Bhutia said.
Noting that helium himself belongs to the tribal community, the erstwhile skipper of the Indian shot squad said tribal communities are people talented successful sports. The Northeast is an illustration arsenic 70 to 80 percent of medal winners from the portion are tribals, helium said.
