SHAHID K ABBAS

New Delhi, Dec 14 (UNI) The sight of Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest of all time, being whisked away from Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium amid a tide of angry, cheated fans and broken seats is more than a one-off logistical failure; it is a painful echo of a deep-seated, systemic problem in the city’s event management history.

The chaos surrounding the highly-anticipated ‘GOAT Tour of India’ event, which saw the prime organiser, Satadru Datta, detained by police, simply highlights that when it comes to hosting major spectacles, Kolkata has a distressing and long-standing history of turning fanfare into fury.

The disaster on Saturday, marked by fans who paid high prices for a poor view and then resorted to vandalism and protests when Messi’s brief appearance was obscured

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