When angry cricket fans in Kolkata set fires at Eden Gardens and forced a World Cup semi-final to be abandoned
Saturday saw unruly scenes at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata as angry fans of Lionel Messi invaded the pitch of the hallowed football stadium before vandalising sofas and trying to light them on fire after being angered by the fact that the Argentine superstar had spent just 20 minutes on the pitch. Fans had paid Rs 3,800 to Rs 11,800 to get a glimpse of the star, but when he left in 20 minutes, they pelted the stadium with all kinds of projectiles like chairs and bottles.
Many of the fans complained later that even in those 20 minutes, they could not even see Messi on the pitch as he was surrounded by a gaggle of hundreds of VIPs and security personnel. Many lamented that Messi had not even touched a football during his brief sighting.
Kolkata is a city that wears its heart on its sleeves for sport of most hues. It has some of the most passionate fans in the country, especially for football.
The scenes witnessed at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday were reminiscent of the infamous incident at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens back in 1996 when the city was hosting a Cricket World Cup semi-final involving India and Sri Lanka. In that game, fans had started lighting fires in the stands which led to the game be stopped and then abandoned with Sri Lanka claiming victory over India.
Fans pose amidst the ruins of banners and chairs during the Kolkata leg of Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour inside the Salt Lake Stadium. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)
But what had caused the angry outburst?
The Indian team was batting second and chasing a target of 252 set by Sri Lanka. The first signs of unrest from the stands came when Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed. Then the hosts slumped from 98 for 1 at one stage to 120 for 8 following a collapse where seven wickets fell for 22 runs. With India on the verge of elimination from the World Cup, angry fans let loose. As an article in The Indian Express about the ugly scenes of that day recounted: “Anything that could be burned, burned. Seats, newspapers, tickets and food stalls.”
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Setting the scene of that day, the report noted: “Halfway through the 23rd over, India were 98/1. Tendulkar had scored two-thirds of those runs — 65. Then he was stumped and the Eden Gardens rained water bottles. A dozen overs, 22 runs and six more Indian dismissals later, the match was abandoned. For Eden now was on fire.”
Another report in The Indian Express mentioned: “A generation found it difficult to forget the 1996 World Cup semi-finals against Sri Lanka held on the grounds. A sobbing Vinod Kambli leaving the grounds after the crowds had set the stadium on fire was its darkest hour.”
It must be noted that this was not to be the only time that a game at the Eden Gardens had to be stopped midway due to crowd trouble.
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The India-Pakistan Test match in February 1999 had also seen unruly scenes on the fourth day when India were 143/2, while chasing 279 to win the inaugural Test of the Asian Championships. Tendulkar was batting on seven when he was run-out after colliding with Shoaib Akhtar.
It took some persuasion from Tendulkar himself besides ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya for the match was able to resume. But then trouble stirred again in the stands on the final day as fans were angered by India’s wickets falling. This time, the match was held up for nearly three hours while policemen ejected 65,000 people. The game was completed in front of an empty Eden Gardens.
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