Satadru Dutta, the organiser of the Messi GOAT India tour, has broken his silence on the chaos during the Kolkata leg of the tour. Messi had to cut short his visit due to 'security concerns'. Fans who paid a huge amount of money for the event then vandalised the Salt Lake Stadium with Dutta also being arrested for the same.
Speaking to IANS, Dutta revealed that the original plan of the event was to have both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal would pose for a joint photograph and felicitate Lionel Messi. Those plans however were shelved after many IAS officers 'hijacked' the event.
"The plan was to take a joint photo and the two clubs will felicitate Lionel Messi. It was neat and clean on that part. But the problem is the IAS officers," he told IANS.
'Anything could have happened'
Satadru Dutta claimed there was a major security risk at the event involving Lionel Messi and said “anything could have happened” due to the chaos. He said Messi, being a global icon, required the “highest order” of protection and questioned why Messi’s management would take unnecessary risks amid disorder at the venue.
"Absolutely, I'm the scapegoat. You tell me, if there is a security breach, if somebody, an immature minister does an immature act and hijacks my event, then what can an event organiser do, you tell me?" he added
He defended his credentials as an organiser, saying he had previously managed events in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi “fluently.” He also demanded an investigation into the alleged mismanagement and security lapses during the Kolkata event.
Dutta stressed that access to the field should have been restricted strictly to personnel directly connected to the event operations. “In the field of play, only those who are part of the show flow can come,” he said, while questioning how officials who were not part of the planning process managed to enter the area.
" I don't know how they, they were never part of the show flow. I don't know how can they come even on the field of play. See, there is a difference. In the field of play, only those who are part of the show flow can come. That's why the investigation should happen," he added.
