Will ICC take action against Pakistan’s complaint about ‘rowdy’ Indian fans at World Cup?
PCB lodges two complaints with ICC regarding crowd behaviour during India vs Pakistan
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The International Cricket Council (ICC) is unlikely to take action on the complaint filed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the crowd’s “inappropriate conduct” towards its team during their ICC Cricket World Cup match against India.
India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in a one-sided affair in front of a jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Over 100,000 home fans were witness to India’s eighth World Cup win against Pakistan, while only three Pakistani-American fans were in the stands to support the Men in Green, according to media reports.
ICC won’t take any action for PCB’s complaint since the governing body’s anti-discrimination code is restricted to individuals and does not cover groups, according to experts.
When Pakistan skipper Babar Azam began speaking at the toss ahead of India vs Pakistan on 14 October, he immediately received loud boos from the crowd. When Mohammad Rizwan was walking back after being dismissed by fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, some Indian fans allegedly chanted “Jai Shri Ram” (hail Lord Ram) – a Hindu religious slogan.
“The ICC takes every complaint very seriously but code is about individuals. I don’t know what exactly is PCB looking at but it will be very difficult to take any tangible action,” a veteran official, who has worked in both BCCI and ICC told PTI.
“The ICC may identify individuals if there are charges of racism but if thousands of people are shouting a slogan, what can you do? No player was injured by any ‘missile’ hurled from the gallery? A partisan crowd is expected. That’s the pressure of elite sport.”
The ICC displays its stand on racism and zero tolerance policy through billboards during its events, as per its standard protocol.
The latest example of collective racism in sport is Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior’s case when he threatened to walk off the pitch in the second half of a La Liga match against Valencia last season after being targeted with racist slurs.
The governing body of football didn’t let the incident pass without action. It sanctioned the partial closure of a stand at Valencia’s home ground Mestalla Stadium for five games and the club was slapped with a fine of €45,000 (£39,000).
The sanction was later reduced to three games of partial closure and a fine of €27,000 (£23,000) after the club appealed against the decision. Spanish police eventually identified seven people and detained them. The offenders were also banned from entering any stadium in Spain for the next three years.
Pakistan’s team director Mickey Arthur also reacted to his side barely having any support against India, suggesting that the match appeared to be a bilateral game and not an ICC event.
Arthur also highlighted the lack of Pakistani music on the Narendra Modi Stadium’s playlist, specifically mentioning Dil, Dil Pakistan, a song that is usually played at Pakistan matches at ICC events.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments