Sunil Gavaskar questions whether Lionel Messi really fulfilled his commitments in Kolkata: ‘The real culprit is he'

Gavaskar criticizes the blame directed at organizers for Lionel Messi's brief appearance in Kolkata, suggesting the focus should be on Messi's commitment.

Sunil Gavaskar has waded into the Kolkata Messi storm with an argument that flips the lens away from organisers and vIP cuture and back on Lionel Messi’s own commitment.

Lionel Messi during an event as part of his 'G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025'.(PTI)

Writing for Sportsstar, the former India captain said the Salt Lake Stadium episode was quickly framed as an Indian failure, even though the first question should have been simpler: did the main attraction deliver what he was meant to?

Gavaskar’s take: Blame follows the broken promise

Sunil Gavaskar starts with the mismatch between what the fans expected and what they got. “Even the recent episode at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, where the Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, made a far shorter appearance than promised, was blamed on everyone except the person who failed to honour his commitment,” wrote Gavaskar.

He concedes that the public doesn’t know the precise terms agreed between Messi’s team and the organisers. But he adds this is exactly why the rush to blame “fellow Indians” should be paused until the basics are verified. “What his agreement was is not public knowledge, but if he was meant to be at the stadium for an hour, then by leaving well before that time and disappointing fans who had paid good money, the real culprit was he and his entourage,” wrote the ex-Indian captain.

Gavaskar also pushes back at the idea that Lionel Messi’s early exit can be waved away as a security issue. He acknowledged the optics, politicians and VIPs crowding the footballer, but claims that doesn’t automatically explain a cut-short appearance. “Yes, he was surrounded by politicians and so-called VIPs, but there was no security threat to him or his entourage.”

He then reframes the debate around a more practical question: what exactly was Lionel Messi expected to do at Salt Lake? Gavaskar suggests that if there was a tangible activity planned, it would have naturally created separation and visibility, giving the crowd the moment they came for.

“Was he supposed to simply walk around the stadium, or do something tangible like take a penalty kick? If it were the latter, those around him would automatically have had to move, and the crowd would have seen their hero do what they had come to watch,” explained the scorer for 34-Test hundreds.

Gavaskar contrasts Salt Lake with Messi’s other India appearances, saying the smoother events had one key difference. “The other appearances went smoothly because commitments were met.”

He closes his writing with a reporting checklist: before turning the story into a Kolkata mess-up pile-on, one should confirm whether commitments were honoured on both sides. “So, before blaming fellow Indians in Kolkata, it might be worth checking whether commitments on both sides were honoured.”