From the electrifying victory of the Indian cricket team in the recent T20 series to the rising star power of young badminton sensations, India's sporting landscape is ablaze with action! This week alone saw record-breaking performances in the Pro Kabaddi League, showcasing the nation's unwavering passion for indigenous sports. The upcoming Asian Games are generating immense anticipation, with athletes across disciplines sharpening their skills and aiming for glory on the international stage. We delve into the crucial role of sports sponsorships in nurturing talent and boosting India's sporting infrastructure. Furthermore, debates rage on about the future of cricket's dominance in India's sporting ecosystem, with other sports like hockey and football vying for increased attention and investment. Stay updated on all the latest scores, match analyses, and exclusive interviews with your favorite athletes. Explore the dynamic world of Indian sports—from the bustling stadiums to the quiet dedication of rising stars—right here. Discover the stories that shape the nation’s sporting spirit and witness the unfolding drama of the sporting year.
Kerala: Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman reaffirmed on Saturday that the star Argentine footballer Lionel Messi will visit Kerala for a friendly football match. The state government had announced last year that they will be arranging a friendly game for Argentina and their national side will visit the country for the same. However, there wasn't any update about the fixture even after six months and that triggered a discussion around Lionel Messi and the Argentine football team's visit to the state. Some media reports had claimed that Argentina had cancelled their plans to visit Kerala due to the breaches of contract by the sponsor. However, Both Minister Abdurahiman and the sponsor, Reporter Broadcasting Company had refuted the claims saying that the match would be scheduled as planned. Also, he hinted that the match likely to take place during the October-November FIFA window. Abdurrahiman has put an end to all the discussions with a facebook post on Saturday captioned "Messi will come," and also thanked the sponsors for helping to arrange the event.
Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman on Saturday asserted that Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, will visit the state as announced by the government earlier, and that the sponsor has paid the match fee for the event. He said the World Cup winner is likely to come in October or November this year, and they would be treated as state guests. The government would meet their security, accommodation and other facilities. The news would come as a fresh ray of hope for football fans in one of India's surviving football hubs. Earlier, several media reports had claimed that Argentina's scheduled visit ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) FC Goa have confirmed that former India head coach Manolo Marquez will continue to lead the Gaurs in the 2025/26 season through a social media post. The Spaniard was working on a dual role with FC Goa after being appointed the national team head coach in 2024, on a two-year-deal, before season after parting ways with the All India Football Federation. "I was very happy during the previous two seasons, where the team showed consistent improvement each year. The level of organisation that the club operates with is not commonly observed in Indian club footbal ...Read More >
Moradabad (UP), Aug 1 (PTI) The Moradabad district administration has cancelled the allotment of a government bungalow granted to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has been asked to vacate the premises within 30 days. The bungalow, located in the posh Civil Lines area near the Police Training College (PTC II), was allotted to the SP patriarch 31 years ago. Spread across nearly 1,000 square meters on Nazul land, the property serves as the local SP office. District Magistrate Anuj Singh said the property is needed for housing officers and other ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) As Lionel Messi's much-anticipated visit to India as part of the "GOAT Tour of India 2025 is confirmed, with the three-city tour set to kick off on December 13, the Argentine star recalled his last visit to the country 14 years ago and said he has "good memories of a very special country". The three-day tour from December 13 to 15 will feature Messi's appearances in Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi, with a fourth city to be announced, tour's event manager said. This will be the Argentine great's first trip to India since 2011 when he visited the country with h ...Read More >
Kolkata: Lionel Messi on Thursday confirmed his participation in the much-anticipated GOAT Tour of India 2025, calling it an "honour" to revisit the "passionate football nation" country where he last played 14 years ago. "It is such an honour for me to make this trip. India is a very special country, and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago -- the fans were fantastic. "India is a passionate football nation, and I look forward to meeting a new generation of fans while sharing the ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 14 (ANI): Argentine football legend Lionel Messi reached Mumbai for his "GOAT India Tour 2025". NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule extended her best wishes to the fans and the people of Maharashtra, while stressing the importance of safety. "I wish them good luck, and I hope it all happens well and everybody who comes to see Messi is very safe," Sule told ANI. Also Read | Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour: Promoter Satadru Dutta Sent to 14-Day Police Custody After Salt Lake Stadium Chaos. After a disappointing turn of events in Kolkata and a highly successful recept ...Read More >
Dumdum (West Bengal) [India], December 14 (ANI): Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy on Sunday said that the Chief Minister has appointed an inquiry committee to probe the mismanagement during Argentine footballer Lionel Messi's event at Salt Lake Stadium and added that it is not appropriate to comment on the matter until the panel submits its findings. "The Chief Minister has appointed an inquiry committee. The committee will find out anything (responsible). So it is not for us to comment on the matter. I condemn the BJP for bringing politics into a sports event," Roy told ANI. On Saturday, M ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 15 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh expressed delight after meeting Lionel Messi in Mumbai on Sunday, during the football legend's Mumbai leg of the GOAT India Tour. Messi, after Kolkata and Hyderabad, completed the third pit stop of his GOAT India Tour with Mumbai. The football legend, along with Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, dazzled fans at the Wankhede Stadium. They also met Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri, cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar, and the CM of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis. Former India and Mumbai Indians cricketer ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, June 7 (UNI) Amid swirling speculation over the possible cancellation of an exhibition match involving global football icon Lionel Messi, Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman on Saturday reaffirmed that the much-anticipated event is very much on. "World Champion Argentina football team will visit Kerala," the minister said in a social media post, adding that Messi -- fondly known as King Leo -- is confirmed to participate in the match. His clarification comes in the wake of reports suggesting uncertainty around the event, prompting concern among fans and stakeholders. The ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) The All India Football Federation have mutually parted ways with national team head coach Manolo Marquez after his tenure saw India fall down to 127 in FIFA rankings. The AIFF executive committee met on Wednesday and approved the decision as per reports. His exit follows after AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey had confirmed that Marquez's tenure will be under review at the said meeting. Despite a poor run of results, concerns finally arose after India's poor start to the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers as the men in blue played out a draw against Bangladesh in the ope ...Read More >
Lionel Messi in Delhi, Check Full Schedule Today: Lionel Messi is all set to be in Delhi for the final leg of his ongoing GOAT India tour 2025. Having been in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai over the past couple of days, Messi will make his first-ever visit to the national capital on Monday, December 15. Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez will also be with Messi as they have been in the other three venues. Messi's much-awaited visit to the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium for multiple events is set to captivate thousands, featuring cameos from cricket legends and dignitaries. The former Barcelona and P ...Read More >
Kareena Kapoor met football legend Lionel Messi in Mumbai along with her sons Taimur and Jehangir Ali Khan during his GOAT India Tour 2025, with pictures and videos from the meet quickly going viral. The actress had earlier shared a glimpse of her boys gearing up to meet their idol, as Messi's visit sparked massive excitement among fans across the city. Football legend Lionel Messi arrived in Mumbai for his eagerly awaited GOAT India Tour 2025. Kareena Kapoor went to meet the football legend wit ...Read More >
New Delhi: 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 that does things on the field that are often beyond human comprehension. Most importantly, the much-publicised and anticipated event had the ending it wanted, after a chaotic beginning in Kolkata on the tour's first stop on Saturday.The thousands of heads totting the stands at Kotla, as well as the few Indian celebrities and dignitaries inside the ground, basked in the euphoria of hosting one of the world's most recognisable ...Read More >
Kowloon (Hong Kong), June 8 (UNI) India and Hong Kong, China's meeting on Matchday 2 of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round on June 10 is billed as the highest-stakes clash of Group C as they are the top two ranked sides in the four-team group, and are aiming for the first win of their campaign. Placed in Pot 1 for the qualifiers, India, ranked 127th, got off to a slow start with a draw against Bangladesh in March. Meanwhile, Pot 2 side Hong Kong, ranked 153, could also only manage a point in Singapore, meaning there is still nothing to separate the four sides after th ...Read More >
Panaji: Last season's finalists are drawn in the same group, and they are joined by the Durand Cup champions and I-League winners.Group B, at first glance, looks a difficult one, but defending champions FC Goa are unperturbed as they face Jamshedpur FC in a repeat of last year's final at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Sunday at 7.30pm.Durand Cup champions NorthEast United, among the favourites here, and I-League winners, Inter Kashi FC, complete the group."It's the draw, sometimes it's good, som ...Read More >
Kolkata, Dec 14 (PTI) A day after chaos erupted during Argentine football icon Lionel Messi's event at Salt Lake stadium here, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday visited the venue for a first-hand inspection and called for a judicial inquiry. Bose also urged the government to frame standard operating procedures (SOPs) for managing such events in future. The governor, accompanied by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and senior police officials, visited the venue for a first-hand assessment of the stadium chaos. He also said all those responsible for the chaos must be arrested and the or ...Read More >
Soccer. Ibrahimovic praised Messi's son and sparked excitement at Inter Miami Lionel Messi's recent visit to India was framed as a landmark moment for football fans, and in many respects, it lived up to the hype. Over the course of three tightly scheduled days, the Argentine legend traveled across Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi, attracting massive crowds wherever he appeared. For a country where elite football icons are rarely seen in person, Messi's presence alone was enough to spark na ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): Argentina's World Cup-winning legend Lionel Messi paid tribute to Liverpool striker Diogo Jota following his demise in a car accident. Liverpool and Portugal forward Jota died in a car accident on Thursday in Spain at the age of 28. At the time of the accident, Jota was with his brother in the car, as reported by Sky Sports. Premier League and Liverpool Football Club took to their official social media and paid their condolences to the footballer. Also Read | Shubman Gill Records: Here's List of Achievements of Team India Test Captain During His Record-Breaki ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The Argentina football team, along with Lionel Messi, is likely to play against Australia in Kochi in November, according to the news agency PTI. No date has been fixed for the exhibition match, but the match is likely to be played between November 12 and 18. There were some controversies around the Argentina team's visit to Kerala, with some early reports suggesting that the team would not visit the country. However, some months later, the Kerala sports minister, V Abdurahiman, said that the Kerala state team would arrive in Kerala in November. It will be a moment of celebration ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 23 (PTI) The Lionel Messi-led Argentina team will most likely face Australia in the eagerly-awaited friendly match in Kerala come November, official sources in the state's sports department said on Tuesday. No date has been fixed for the game, but it will take place in Kochi on any day between November 12 and November 18, the sources said. They added that Australia will most likely be the opponent of the South American giants. Another source said that a member of the Argentine support staff is expected to land in Kochi on Wednesday "for venue inspection." There were ...Read More >
Shillong, Oct 17 (UNI) When Shillong was chosen for the friendly between India and Maldives earlier this year it was often said that this would be the city's first international football match. Devoted fans of the game knew that this was not entirely accurate, however, as it was only the first men's international because Shillong had already played host to the women's football events at the South Asian Games in 2016. On February 15, 2016 India won the final and the gold medal by beating Nepal 4-0 at the JN Stadium here in front of a packed crowd of 20,000-plus fans. Nine and a half years on, ...Read More >
It was a tough night for the Indian women's football team in Shillong, as they fell 0-2 to Iran in their opening match of the Tri-Nation Women's International Friendlies. Two second-half goals from substitute Sara Didar sealed the deal for Iran and left India chasing shadows for much of the match. This game marked India's first outing since their historic AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification campaign earlier this year -- but instead of building on that momentum, the Blue Tigresses looked rusty a ...Read More >
An awkward moment unfolded at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium when sections of the crowd booed as Tiger Shroff and Ajay Devgn were felicitated during Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour event. The reaction appeared to stem from fans' impatience, as many had gathered primarily to see the football legend. Football legend Lionel Messi recently attended an event at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday in Mumbai. The event was also graced by Bollywood actors Tiger Shroff and Ajay Devgn. While fans cheered for the actors ...Read More >
Kohima, Aug 1 (PTI) Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday announced a series of initiatives aimed at promoting football and other sporting disciplines across the state. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 24th Dr T Ao Inter-District Football Tournament at Indira Gandhi Stadium here, Rio said that astroturf football grounds are being developed in all districts, with six already completed in Dimapur, Phek, Mon, Mokokchung, Tuensang, and Chümoukedima. He also said that 28 futsal courts and 31 multipurpose sports buildings are under construction across the state, with more projects ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar / Keonjhar (Odisha) [India], August 6: Sweta Rani Mahanta of Jindal Sports Hostel was felicitated by Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi for winning Bronze Medal in the 48 kg category at the 12th Asian Junior Wushu Championship held in China. The Chief Minister felicitated her during the closing ceremony of the 64th Senior Men's Inter-District Football Championship Final for the Sahani Cup, held at Keonjhar Stadium. Also Read | 'Come via Proper Channel': Election Commission Tells Asaduddin Owaisi, Randeep Surjewala As They Flag 65 Lakh Voters Being 'Left Out' During SIR ...Read More >
Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, will not travel to India next month as reported by Sportstar. The match was originally set for November 17 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. But Anto Augustine, general director of Reporter Broadcasting Company, the friendly's sponsor, announced on social media that the game will now take place during FIFA's upcoming international match window. There was a delay in obtaining FIFA's approval for the match, Anto stated on Facebook. He said that a meeting wit ...Read More >
The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic's daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter.Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox. Hello! Lionel Messi and a GOAT tour to India. What could possibly go wrong? He's a week on from winning MLS Cup with Inter Miami after three years of trying. His run to the final generated record TV viewing figures. He's headed towards his sixth World Cup, and despite his modesty, there's not a chance that he misses it, unless his body gives out. First stop f ...Read More >
Messi landed in Kolkata at 01:30 local time. Thousands lined the roads and congregated outside his hotel to catch a glimpse of him. The day began with the meet-and-greet ticket holders first up from 09:00 to 10:30. Then the day took a strange twist. A 70ft statue of Messi lifting the World Cup was unveiled by the former Barcelona icon. But he was not present - it was a virtual unveiling. He was on a video screen and pressed a button on a remote control. At this point a blue sheet dropped to r ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jul 7 (PTI) East Bengal FC will face South United FC of Bengaluru in the opening match of the 134th edition of Durand Cup football tournament at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on July 23. The final of the tournament, which will feature 43 matches across six cities, will be held on August 23. Also Read | Highest Test Match Aggregates for Batter, From Shubman Gill to Wiaan Mulder; Check Full List. The 24 participating teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each. Each team will face the other three once in the group stage. Six group winners and two b ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Punjab chief ministerBhagwant Mann on Thursday said the government will table a bill in the assembly on Friday to introduce harsher punishment for religious sacrilege. However, the law will not be enacted immediately, as the government plans to hold consultations with stakeholders before finalising the legislation.Mann said the decision was taken in a meeting of the cabinet earlier in the day. After the legislation is tabled, Punjab govt will gather suggestions on the law from stakeholders, including religious organisations and people, he added.Sources said said the new legislation ...Read More >