ICC expels fans propagating political message in Ind-NZ tie

Four Sikh guys wearing political messages on their shirtswere ejected from the Old Trafford Stadium while India played New Zealand inthe first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup.

Confirming the development, the ICC said: “We canconfirm a small group of fans were asked to leave Old Trafford during the firstinnings for breaching the ticketing terms and conditions by undertaking apolitical protest.

   

“We do not condone any sort of political messages atthe World Cup and initially asked the group to stop the protest so they couldremain in venue, when they refused they were asked to leave. We work with venuesecurity and local police forces around the country to prevent this type ofprotest occurring and will continue to do so.”

This isn’t the first time that the ongoing tournament hasbeen used to propagate political messages. A plane carrying the slogan”Justice for Kashmir” was first seen flying over the HeadingleyCricket Ground on July 6 when India played Sri Lanka.

It was followed by another plane which had a slogan”India Stop Genocide & Free Kashmir”. It was further followed byanother plane which asked people to stop mob lynching in India.

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)wanting clarity on the process in place to avoid a ‘political slogan’ fiasco inManchester for the semi-final game, Managing Director Cricket World Cup SteveElworthy had promised the Indian board that every step was taken to avoid arepeat. In fact, the stadium was made a no-flying zone for the duration of thegame.

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