Pakistan Fan Eviction From India Test At Old Trafford: Lancashire Justifies Move Citing 'Safety Risk'

Pakistan Fan Eviction From India Test At Old Trafford: Lancashire Justifies Move Citing 'Safety Risk' (Source: AP/X)

Lancashire justified the Pakistan fan eviction during the Old Trafford Test between India and England, but issued an apology for "any upset and offence caused which was not intended. For the unversed, a Pakistan fan was asked to cover his traditional green jersey during the final day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. The incident was shared by the Pakistan fan, Farooq Nazar, on social media, and it created quite a buzz.

The fan posted a video and showed the sequence of events where the security staff asked him to cover his Pakistan jersey. When Nazar refused, he was subsequently escorted away by police officers and asked to leave the stadium due to unacceptable behaviour directed towards the stewarding team.

Lancashire released a statement and revealed that a separate incident between India and Pakistan fans on the previous day influenced the security's handling of Nazar's situation.

The club revealed that a few Pakistan fans waved the country's flag, and it created tensions with the nearby Indian fans. The stewards deescalated the situation by asking the fans to put the flag down, to which they agreed.

Lancashire said the Pakistan fan was asked to cover the shirt for his own safety and to avoid any potential escalation.

"Firstly, we wish to make it clear that there was no intention to remove the individual simply for wearing a Pakistan cricket shirt," the club said in a statement. "The approach taken was informed by an incident on Saturday, during which a group of supporters waved a Pakistan national flag, leading to tensions with nearby Indian fans. In that case, our stewards were able to de-escalate the situation by respectfully asking the individuals to put the flag away, which they did without hesitation.

"In light of this context, our team adopted a precautionary, safety-first approach on Sunday. A stand supervisor politely asked the individual to cover his shirt in the interest of his own safety and to avoid any potential escalation. Despite several courteous requests from the supervisor and the response team, the individual repeatedly declined to comply."

India-Pakistan ties hit a new low after the Pahalgam attack, and public sentiment is negative toward each other. Recently, the India Champions also boycotted their clash against Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends. The countries, however, would face each other in the Asia Cup on September 14. There were doubts if the tournament would go ahead as India didn't make their stance clear, but the board agreed to play the Asia Cup.

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