Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:48am on 14 Dec 2025,Sunday International
Former India football captain Baichung Bhutia criticised the mismanagement during Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata. He said the chaos at Salt Lake Stadium damaged India’s image. Bhutia noted that nearly 80,000 fans attended, but many genuine supporters did not get to see Messi. He blamed poor planning and the presence of too many VIPs around the football star. Bhutia said the visit was a good idea but was badly handled. He urged organisers to focus on real fans in future events. He added that people travelled long distances and paid money, only to leave disappointed and upset.
