When Lionel Messi’s aptly-named GOAT Tour was announced, the excitement among his Indian fans was palpable. Such was the frenzy that tickets priced Rs 2,800-40,000 for just a glimpse of the star were booked in no time. Even Rs 10-lakh meet-and-greet sessions with the Argentinian footballer were sold out. There was no football on show, except for a few exhibition games involving children and ministers. It was just a series of promotional events where Messi’s presence was limited to waving, smiling, and delivering short speeches (in Spanish).
Four venues representing the country’s east, west, north and south were announced. At Kolkata, fans from other states and neighbouring nations also thronged the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. It was perplexing that a private firm with a not-so-healthy history of managing events was put in charge. The stadium was filled even before Messi arrived. The fans initially waited patiently in the stands while the legend was being jostled by the VIPs on the ground, including a state minister. Then Messi, hardly visible from far, was whisked away with fellow footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul the moment there was a hint of trouble. As the paying fans threw ripped seats at the police and entered the ground, the chaos seemed inevitable.
Among the reasons for bedlam were elitist entitlement, security planning, and venue selection. Other cities used cricket stadiums, which are considered more secure. If the Kolkata event went agonisingly awry, Hyderabad (Uppal Stadium) and Mumbai (Wankhede) brought some sanity to the GOAT tour. Even Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium) managed to hold on despite the pollution. At every venue, Messi looked uncomfortable with cloying politicians looking for a picture opportunity, but beamed happily in the company of sports stars. He was touched when Sachin Tendulkar gifted him a signed World Cup-winning t-shirt and hugged former Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri.
Some of the scenes were indeed ugly, especially when dignitaries pushed and pulled to take selfies, as if the GOAT was a tool to improve approval ratings. At times, de Paul acted like a bouncer trying to keep unwanted hands away from Messi. When the dust settles, we must reflect on what we gained from this Messi visit—especially for a nation that is struggling to host its premier football league at the moment.