Chandrajit Mitra

I have no idea what happened in Kolkata in the Messi event. But I couldn't help thinking that we Indians really do not like sport. We like stars. What else could explain the millions, and I mean millions of dollars we spend to fly in superstars, when they will not even play a proper match. I am ok with paying whatever it takes to bring in a top football team to play in India, like Messi did in 2011 or Tata Steel did for a long time in the 80s and 90s. But getting them to come here just to shake hands and pose for pictures defies all reason. They will sell real estate, take pictures with every sponsor and go back with more money in two days than say the I League used to spend in a year. I don't blame the organizers for getting into this, its a really profitable business, because the politicians are getting serious free mileage and the sponsor is spending his, or his company's money to fulfil his childhood fantasy. The journalists are overawed just to be there with a generational superstar, lots of folks are spending a reported Rs 10 lacs for a handshake and a photo op and the real estate guys are busy pushing deals. That's millions of bucks spent on a footballer, whose closest attempt at action would be kicking a few footballs at the crowd or dribbling for a few minutes. Money that is desperately desperately needed elsewhere in actual football. Real camps, matches, ground level sponsorships. Or even to revive a football league. And then we expect India to be better at sport!