Ganguly Takes Legal Action Against Fan Club President Over Messi Tour Controversy

Former Indian Cricket Captain and current Cricket Association of Bengal President Sourav Ganguly has initiated stringent legal action by serving a Rs 50 crore defamation notice and filing a police complaint against Uttam Saha, President of the Argentina Football Fan Club in Kolkata, for allegedly making baseless and malicious statements implicating him in the controversial Lionel Messi G.O.A.T India Tour event that descended into chaos on December 13, 2025.

The defamation notice, issued on December 18, 2025, accuses Saha of deliberately circulating a video interview on social media platforms including YouTube and Facebook, wherein he falsely claimed that Ganguly was the mastermind behind organising Messi's visit to Kolkata and that the arrested primary organiser Satadru Dutta was merely acting as a front or stooge, assertions Ganguly categorically denies as entirely fabricated and intended to inflict severe harm on his meticulously built public image.

In a detailed emailed complaint lodged with the Cyber Cell of Kolkata Police at Lalbazar, Ganguly emphasised that Saha's public remarks were knowingly false, scandalous, offensive, and defamatory, causing profound damage to his reputation, emotional well-being, and professional standing, while underscoring that he held no official role in the event's organisation and attended solely as an invited dignitary alongside figures like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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The underlying controversy erupted during Messi's brief appearance at Salt Lake Stadium (Yuva Bharati Krirangan), where thousands of ticket-paying fans, frustrated by limited visibility amid heavy security and VIP presence, erupted in vandalism—ripping seats, hurling objects, invading the pitch, and damaging facilities—forcing Messi to depart after just 20-22 minutes instead of the scheduled duration, prompting widespread outrage, an official apology from the Chief Minister, and the subsequent arrest of organiser Satadru Dutta on mismanagement charges.

Ganguly, in his submissions as of December 19, 2025, highlighted his decades-long illustrious career as a celebrated sportsperson and administrator that earned him immense respect nationally and internationally, asserting that these unsubstantiated allegations represent a calculated attempt to tarnish his hard-earned legacy through character assassination, while demanding immediate retraction, public apology, content removal from digital platforms, and substantial compensatory damages, as authorities continue their investigation into the cyber complaint amid escalating fallout from the high-profile football tour debacle.

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