Sourav in Messi crossfire, sues Arg fan club prez for 50 crore
Times of India | 19 December 2025
Kolkata: Former Team India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has filed a Rs 50-crore defamation suit and lodged a complaint against the Argentina Football Fan Club of Kolkata president Uttam Saha for tarnishing his image in an online interview where the latter made allegations linking Ganguly to the controversial Salt Lake stadium incident during Lionel Messi's visit to Kolkata on Dec 13.
Ganguly has sent a legal notice to Saha, asking him to "delete the video and all related content from social media and digital platforms, publish a written unconditional public apology addressed to Ganguly, and pay Rs 50 crore as compensatory and punitive damages to the former captain for the severe reputational, emotional and institutional harm suffered". The complaint was lodged with the cyber cell of the detective department.
The interview claims that the main organiser, Satadru Dutta, now arrested by the police and currently in police remand, had close business connections with Ganguly and that there was a deal between the two even at the Messi event at the Salt Lake stadium.
"I am the former captain of the Indian cricket team, former president of the BCCI, and currently president of the Cricket Association of Bengal. I enjoy a very high public reputation and goodwill in India and abroad, built over decades of professional career and public service in sport administration," Ganguly wrote in his complaint, stating clearly why the interview left him deeply hurt.
"This complaint is filed with reference to a video interview published and widely disseminated online on or about Dec 14-15. It shows the interview of a person calling himself Uttam Saha (who in the video claims to be the president of the Argentina Football Fan Club, Kolkata'). The video contains knowingly false, malicious, scandalous, and defamatory imputations against me, imputing dishonesty, corrupt motives, improper patronage, misuse of influence in sport administration, and other materially false allegations that have gravely harmed my reputation and mental peace," Ganguly wrote in his complaint.
In his complaint, Ganguly stated that the "defamatory publication has already gone viral and is being widely shared". Unless the material and the related electronic records are preserved immediately, crucial evidence (original uploaded files, server logs, IP addresses, editing history, and related communications) is at risk of being deleted or altered by the accused or third parties. Immediate intervention by the Cyber Crime Branch is therefore imperative to secure digital evidence and to prevent further," stated Ganguly.
When contacted by TOI, Saha said he had been informed about the steps taken by Ganguly against him. "I have not received any formal letter or document yet. I will provide all my answers legally once I receive them. However, one must remember that thousands of football fans have been deprived here. My fan club is a unique one, and I will always defend it to the best of my abilities," said Saha.