The World Cup-winning Argentina striker, Angel di Maria, is scheduled to visit Dhaka in late May or early June, according to sports promoter Satadru Dutta of Kolkata.
The 35-year-old striker, who now plays for the Portuguese team Benfica, called Dutta from Kolkata to let him know that he would be visiting the subcontinent and would be staying a day and a half in each city—Kolkata and Dhaka.
Due to the private nature of the tours and the poor planning of the events, Dutta’s meetings with former Brazilian player Ronaldinho and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez last year drew harsh criticism from the public and media.
Dutta did, however, clarify that there won’t be any problems this time.
Between May 20 and June 5, “Di Maria will spend a day and a half each in Kolkata and Dhaka,” Dutta said to The Daily Star. “It will be entirely different this time. I accept responsibility for it, and I’ll see to it that Di Maria engages in adequate public life.”
“Di Maria will be involved in a public appearance at a stadium, in meet and greet events, a session with women footballers and a meeting with the Prime Minister,” Dutta said.
The sports promoter, who has previously brought Pele and Diego Maradona to Kolkata, said he is in talks with a number of Dhaka-based agencies and corporates to finalize the visit’s schedule and agreement.