Sourav Ganguly has moved the court following controversy surrounding the recent visit of Argentine football stars Lionel Messi, Rodrigo de Paul, and Luis Suarez to India. The three-day tour, dubbed the “Goat Tour of India,” began amid confusion and unrest in Kolkata, where fans vandalised parts of the Yuva Bharati Stadium after failing to get a glimpse of Messi.
While the football icons later travelled to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Gujarat without incident, the disorder in Kolkata sparked widespread criticism. Ganguly, former India captain and current president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, has now taken legal steps, citing reputational damage.
Dispute Over Alleged Mediation Role
Sourav’s legal action follows claims made by Uttam Saha, president of the Kolkata-based Argentine Supporters’ Club. Saha alleged that Ganguly acted as a mediator in organising Messi’s visit with the main event organiser, Sutadru Dutta. Dutta was arrested at Kolkata airport on December 12, the day unrest broke out at the stadium.
Ganguly has firmly denied the allegations and demanded ₹50 crore in compensation, stating that the claims were baseless and defamatory.
“𝑨𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕, 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.”
Ganguly told news agency PTI.
Police Begin Investigation
Sourav Ganguly has also contacted the cyber cell of the Kolkata Police, asserting that the accusations harmed his dignity and mental peace. According to police officials, the complaint highlights that
“𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”
Lalbazar police have initiated an investigation into the matter. Ganguly clarified that he attended the Yuva Bharati Stadium on December 13 only as a guest and had no official involvement in organising Messi’s event, distancing himself entirely from the management issues that triggered the chaos.
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