Maradona keeps date with soccer crazy city

Kolkata (West Bengal), Dec 6 (PTI) Football icon Diego
Armando Maradona arrived to a rousing welcome by thousands of
frenzied fans who remained awake till past mid night waving
Argentina's national flag of white and sky blue for first
glimpse of the legend at the city airport here.

Euphoric scenes were witnessed as the Lufthansa flight
touched down the NSC Bose International airport at around 1:30
am (local time) and the 48-year old football legend, who had
turned up in four FIFA World Cup tournaments for Argentina,
emerged after almost a 36-hour journey.

Sporting a black jacket and a perfectly matching trouser,
Maradona boarded a five-seated bus with giant-sized
fibre-glass windows as he waved at the fans and proceeded to
the hotel. The crowd chanted 'Diego, Diego' as the convoy
rolled on.

Sky blue baloons wafted in the sky and people sporting
the football great's number 10 jersey shouted -- 'Diego you
are the God of football' -- to the 1986 FIFA World Cup hero
who is here on a two-day trip.

He was accompanied by girl friend Veronica, who was
seated to his right with her left hand plastered, and a
personal assistant.

The 5,000-strong security men had a harrowing time to
control the surging crowd which started pouring since 9 pm and
almost run over the barricade as the football prince arrived,
over three decades after the visit of soccer great Pele.

West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty, officials
of city football giants and Indian Football Association (IFA),
were also present at the airport to receive Maradona, who had
hung his boots on 37th birthday in 1997.

As the five-seater bus with fiber glass walls hit the
road from airport to ITC Sonar Bangla hotel, a magical moment
was recreated with street lights switched off and thousands of
volunteers held torches and placards along the street.

"Maradona is God to us. Till now we have just heard about
him. By seeing him in person we are blessed," gushed an
admirer waiting near the hotel just after catching a glimpse
of the legend.

The nimble-footed football wizard is slated to attend a
host of programmes for the next two days. He will begin his
sojourn with a special helicopter to Maheshtala for the
stone-laying function of the Indian Football School (IFS).

Maradona would next visit the Mother House of the
Missionaries of Charity, 11 years after the passing of the
"apostle of peace", like other foreign dignitaries including
former US President Bill Clinton.

In the afternoon, the Aregntine will proceed to Yuba
Bharati Krirangan (YBK) at Salt Lake where an exhibition match
between Chief Minister's XI and External Affairs Ministry XI
has been organised.

The YBK, which is expected to be filled to the brim with
about 1.2 lakh spectators,, will witness a grand felicitation
of the football legend.

The football great is also scheduled to drive down to the
residence of former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu to meet the
94-year-old stalwart of India's leftist movement.

A Youth Football Clinic at the Mohun Bagan ground will
allow the Under-12 aspirants to interact with the football
superstar, who will sign off with an auction at the hotel in
the evening.

Kolkata, the yesteryear's domestic football capital, had
earlier played host to all time great Pele in 1977 besides
other superstars like Eusobio, Rumenige and Oliver Kann in the
past 30 years. PTI TAP
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