Lancashire County Cricket Club has blamed a clash between Pakistani and Indian fans for the removal of a man wearing Pakistan cricket jersey at Old Trafford during the final day of the England-India Test earlier this week.

 

The spectator, identified as Farooq Nazar, shared a video on social media showing security staff confronting him over his Pakistan cricket jersey. According to Nazar, a staff member from Lancashire asked him to cover his green Pakistan limited-overs shirt. When he refused, he was escorted out by police officers.

 

In an earlier statement, Lancashire said the fan was removed “due to unacceptable behaviour directed towards the stewarding team”, however, the incident sparked backlash online, prompting the club to conduct an internal review and apologise for “any upset and offence caused which was not intended”. Addressing the criticism, Lancashire clarified the removal was not because of the fan’s attire.

 

“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. They further explained the context by referring to a prior incident during the match.

 

“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.”

 

“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.”