“Inappropriate Conduct” Appeal, Report Forecasts Future Course of Events
At the Narendra Modi Stadium, over a lakh spectators witnessed the action, but only three Pakistani-American fans were present to cheer on the players from their nearby country.
Due to the fact that the anti-discrimination law only applies to individuals and excludes groups, the International Cricket Council is unlikely to act on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s complaint regarding alleged rude behaviour by spectators during their World Cup match against India in Ahmedabad. Merely three Pakistani-American spectators cheered on the players from their adjacent country among the over one lakh spectators who flocked to the Narendra Modi Stadium to watch the action.
Once Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed, the PCB filed a protest with the game’s regulatory body after some spectators had jeered him with religious chants as he was walking back to the pavilion.
Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s director of cricket, said that his team was overwhelmed by the boisterous spectators during India’s seven-wicket demolition of Pakistan.
It is acknowledged that the ICC has received the complaint and is investigating its details and potential course of action.
“While the ICC treats all complaints seriously, codes are personal in nature. It will be really tough to take any concrete action, I’m not sure what precisely PCB is looking at, a seasoned official with experience in both the BCCI and ICC told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
It’s important to consider the context of PCB’s “inappropriate behaviour” accusation.
If racism is being accused, the ICC may name specific individuals, but what can you do when thousands of people are yelling a slogan? Was there a single’missile’ fired from the gallery that hurt any players? There will be a partisan audience. That is the strain of competitive sports,” he continued.
Ordinarily, the ICC uses billboards at its events to demonstrate its zero tolerance policy and position against racism.
The story of Brazilian football player Vinicius Junior, who threatened to leave the pitch during the second half of a La Liga match between Real Madrid and Valencia last season after becoming the focus of racist taunts, is a current illustration of collective racism in sports.
The country’s football regulatory authority approved the partial closure of a stand at Valencia’s home stadium, Mestalla Stadium, for five games due to the incident involving collective racist shouts. Additionally, the team was fined 45,000 euros.
The club later filed an appeal against the ruling, and the punishment was lowered to three partially closed games and a fine of 27,000 euros. In actuality, seven persons were apprehended by Spanish police, barred from visiting any stadium in Spain for a period of three years.
Regarding Arthur’s “Dil Dil Pakistan” not blasting from the speakers, a BCCI representative stated, “There was no issue playing ‘Dil Dil Pakistan,’ but was there any instance during that entire match where you could have played that song?”
