Argentine forward Lionel Messi’s retirement has shaken the very core of international football. Arguably one of the greatest players the world has ever seen, the Barcelona star hung up his national team boots, after losing the Copa America final to Chile 2-4 on penalties. With most pundits and players, expressing regret over the end of an international career that never lived up to expectations, former West Bengal Sports Minister Madan Mitra has used the incident as a tool to garner bail.
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The 57-year old was arrested in November last year by CBI, due to his alleged involvement in the Saradha Scam. Speaking to the media, he said, “I have fully cooperated with the Police for the last 18 months, I feel I should be given another chance. Everyone makes mistakes, but I have given my 100% to redeem myself. They should give me bail. Look at Lionel Messi, he is retiring after playing the best matches of his career. He was given that chance. But I feel I am yet to give my best as a politician and I deserve another shot.”
Mitra, who also served as the state’s Transport Minister was arrested in December last year, after surrendering to the authorities. He added, “I feel like I’ve been in the spotlight for too long, now I want to stay back and just help my state. Tell me what more can I do? I’m giving my full cooperation to the CBI, but I think it’s falling on deaf ears.”
Sportskeeda contacted the Trinamool Congress office to understand Madan Mitra’s situational comparison to Lionel Messi. A senior party member said, “See, he was being figurative, but he was also right in that way. Think about it, Madan Mitra is one of the best Sports Ministers West Bengal has had. Lionel Messi is one of the best players Argentina had. However, for some reason, both of them couldn’t earn success and had to leave their field, due to extrinsic problems. So, he is in a way not wrong in his comparison.”
The ex-MLA from Kamarhati was again denied bail by the Calcutta High Court on November 20.
