The mess that unfolded on Saturday in the Salt Lake Stadium in Bidhannagar on the outskirts of Kolkata, where a massive crowd had gathered to see Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain and superstar Lionel Messi, has once again brought into sharp focus the star culture in Indian sport and the VIP culture in Indian society, two ills that see no signs of abating. The fact that vast sums of money are sunk into bringing football legends to Kolkata, long considered the Mecca of the game in India, is a case of warped priorities when the game itself is struggling to survive as the crisis in the AIFF (All India Football Federation) goes from bad to worse.

From the immortal Brazilian Pele to the legendary Argentine genius Diego Maradona and many others in between, including Messi himself, who had e

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