Sport

Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly | Photo Credit: PTI Sourav Ganguly has slapped a ₹50 crore defamation suit notice on an official of a Kolkata-based football fan club for “falsely” dragging his name into the controversy over Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata and making derogatory and defamatory public statements about the former India cricket captain. Cricketer-turned-sports … Read more

Ecuardorian footballer Mario Pineida with Barcelona SC. File. Source:X/@BarcelonaSC Ecuadorian police said on Wednesday (December 17, 2025) that Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old Barcelona de Guayaquil defender, was shot dead in an apparent attack as violence escalates in the Andean nation. Another person who police did not identify was also killed in the incident, and a … Read more

Mohun Bagan Super Giant failed to report in Iran for the AFC Champions League Two fixture against Sepahan SC this year. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), on Wednesday, imposed a two-season ban (up to the 2027-28 season) and a ₹3.6 crore ($400,729) fine on … Read more

Footballers Lionel Messi (centre), Luis Suárez (right), and Rodrigo De Paul (left) during their visit to wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation centre, Vantara, in Jamnagar on December 16, 2025. | Photo Credit: ANI Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi visited Vantara, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, in Gujarat’s Jamnagar before ending his GOAT India Tour. … Read more

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni brings the World Cup trophy onto stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw. File. | Photo Credit: Reuters World Cup organisers unveiled a new cut-price ticket category on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) after a backlash by fans over pricing for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. … Read more

Four cities. Three days. Two close friends. One punishing itinerary. That, in essence, was Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour, a whirlwind that delivered all the adulation the Argentine icon deserved, along with a measure of chaos he could have done without. Kolkata, where football borders on religion, was the tour’s natural starting point. Mumbai and … Read more

PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, left, speaks to PSG’s Kylian Mbappe. File | Photo Credit: AP A Paris labour court has ruled Paris Saint-Germain must pay more than 60 million euros ($70 million) to Kylian Mbappé in a dispute over unpaid wages and bonuses linked to the end of his contract before his 2024 move to … Read more

Manchester United’s Amad Diallo in action with Bournemouth’s Adam Smith during a Premier League match on December 15, 2025 | Photo Credit: AP Manchester United drew with Bournemouth 4-4 in one of the best games in the Premier League on Monday (December 15, 2025). United coach Ruben Amorim said before the match that “playing against … Read more

Lionel Messi playing ball with kids during a clinic at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on December 15, 2025 | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma What began in the most shambolic way in a football-crazy city ended the best way it could, in the most unexpected of venues, as Lionel Messi wrapped up … Read more

Argentina great Lionel Messi poses with ICC Chairman Jay Shah at the stadium during his tour of India on December 15, 2025 | Photo Credit: Reuters The Lionel Messi G.O.A.T. India Tour that began in shambolic fashion ended in a blaze of glory as devotional fans joyously gathered to catch a glimpse of a man … Read more

Retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Ashim Kumar Ray during his visit to the Salt Lake stadium, a day after chaos erupted during Argentine football icon Lionel Messi’s event, in Kolkata | Photo Credit: PTI The West Bengal Police on Monday (December 15, 2025) sent summons to officials of six organisations, which were in charge … Read more

Angry fans broke security protocols and resorted to vandalism, unable to catch a glimpse of Messi during his nearly half-hour appearance at Salt Lake Stadium. | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri Olympic gold-winning former Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra on Monday (December 15, 2025) criticised the manner in which Argentine football great Lionel Messi’s tour of India … Read more

Argentine footballer Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul during the GOAT India tour at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini Delhi Police has beefed up security in the central parts of the national capital and set up traffic restrictions as global football icon Lionel Messi sets foot in the city, the final … Read more

Argentina’s Footballer Lionel Messi meets Sachin Tendulkar during the GOAT India tour at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI India’s cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar walked across the Wankhede Stadium outfield towards Argentina’s football superstar Lionel Messi on a Sunday evening that will be etched in Mumbai’s sporting folklore. Tendulkar presented … Read more

Crowd during the G.O.A.T. India tour at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on December 14, 2025. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini In view of chaos during an event featuring Lionel Messi in Kolkata, the Delhi Police has made multi-layered security arrangements at and around the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where the Argentine football icon will attend another … Read more

Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Police personnel on the field as angry fans vandalise the Salt Lake Stadium, alleging poor management during Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s G.O.A.T India Tour 2025, in Kolkata on December 13, 2025 | Photo Credit: ANI Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Saturday (December 13, 2025) expressed disappointment over the chaos … Read more

Footballer Lionel Messi at Messi’s GOAT India tour at RGI Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday, December 13, 2025. | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G After Saturday morning’s chaos in Kolkata, Hyderabad braced itself for a football extravaganza with cautious anticipation. Fans, organisers, and stakeholders alike waited nervously at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here, uncertain … Read more

Messy affair: Fans showed their frustration by vandalising the Salt Lake Stadium. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour turned ugly at its first stop in Kolkata as poor crowd management at the Salt Lake Stadium left thousands of fans frustrated. Messi arrived at the Salt Lake Stadium with Inter Miami teammates … Read more

Violence erupted at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday (December 13, 2025) after football legend Lionel Messi made a brief public appearance there. Thousands of spectators, not only from Kolkata but from different parts of the country, had arrived at the stadium to catch a glimpse of their favourite football star. Lionel Messi’s convoy … Read more

A view of RGI Cricket stadium in Uppal of Hyderabad, ahead of football legend Lionel Messi’s visit scheduled on Saturday (December 13, 2025) night | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G This is not a full-fledged football match and people should not come with that assumption, said the Director General of Police Shivadhar Reddy on Saturday (December … Read more

FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington. | Photo Credit: AP FIFA received five million requests for World Cup 2026 tickets in the first 24 hours of the latest sales phase, soccer’s world governing body said on Friday, despite an outcry … Read more

Thousands braved the December chill and waited past midnight to give a rousing welcome to Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi as he arrived in Kolkata for his whirlwind three-day, four-city GOAT India Tour 2025. The Barcelona legend’s 2.26 a.m. touchdown in the early hours of Saturday (December 13, 2025) sent the city into a frenzy. … Read more

At 29, two-time World champion Nikhat Zareen is wise beyond her years. She has moved on from her disappointing experience in the Paris Olympics, where she lost to eventual champion Wu Yu in the 50kg pre-quarterfinals. “My mindset is to work hard and give my best,” she says. “I know how hard I worked for … Read more

The inclusion of Hyderabad in Lionel Messi’s tour of India, alongside Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, might puzzle the casual fan. After all, the city no longer holds the glitz and glamour of the current football powerhouses in the country, like Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa, or Kerala. But turn back the clock a few years, rather … Read more

Messi will make an appearance at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in the evening. | Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA Hyderabad is gearing up to host Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour of India on Saturday (December 13, 2025). The Argentine legend will make an appearance at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in the evening, where he will feature in … Read more