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MANCHESTER: Lancashire County Cricket Club has issued an apology following the removal of a spectator wearing a Pakistan cricket jersey during the final day of the England-India Test at Old Trafford.
The fan, identified as Farooq Nazar, posted a video on social media in which he is seen being confronted by security personnel.
Nazar was reportedly asked to cover his replica green Pakistan limited-overs jersey by a staff member, who identified himself as working for Lancashire. Upon his refusal, he was escorted out by police officers.
In a statement, Lancashire said the fan was removed “due to unacceptable behaviour directed towards the stewarding team.”
However, the incident quickly drew criticism online, prompting the club to conduct an internal review.
Addressing the backlash, the club clarified that the removal was not based solely on the fan wearing a Pakistan shirt.
“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.
Instead, they cited a separate incident on the previous day, when tensions reportedly arose between Indian and Pakistani supporters after a group of fans waved a Pakistan flag.
“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,” the statement read.
“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.”
The club claimed that a supervisor politely requested Nazar to cover his shirt to avoid potential escalation, adding that “several courteous requests” were made before police intervened.
“In light of this context, our team adopted a precautionary, safety-first approach on Sunday,” Lancashire further stated.
“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.”
The incident unfolded amid rising political tensions between India and Pakistan following a brief military skirmish in May.
These strains have continued to spill into cricket, with the two nations having not played a bilateral series since 2012–13 and no Test series since 2007–08.
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