Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi urged fans not to forcefully enter the stadium to watch their matches in T20 World Cup 2021. His statement came after Afghanistan fans tried to storm the Dubai International Cricket Stadium ahead of their match against Pakistan on Friday (October 29).
There was chaos outside the venue when Afghanistan fans attempted an entry inside the stadium without tickets, and it meant that many fans who had bought tickets were prevented from entering.
Nabi asked Afghanistan cricket fans to buy tickets to watch the team's upcoming matches. "For the Afghan fans, please buy a ticket and come to the stadium. Don't repeat this again. This is not good," he said after the match.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) apologized to ticket holders who could not enter the stadium despite having tickets for the match. "More than 16,000 tickets had been issued for tonight's game between Pakistan and Afghanistan," said an ICC statement.
"However, thousands of ticketless fans traveled to the venue and then attempted to force entry into the stadium. Dubai Police and security staff secured the stadium to ensure the safety of everyone inside and brought in significant additional resources to disperse the crowd and calm the situation," the apex body added.
ICC has asked Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to go through an investigation on the incident and take notes from it to ensure it doesn't happen again.
"The ICC, BCCI (hosts Board of Control for Cricket in India) and ECB (Emirates Cricket Board) apologize to any fans with valid tickets who were unable to enter the stadium."
"The ICC has asked the ECB to undertake a thorough investigation into tonight's events to learn any lessons and will work closely with authorities to ensure there is no repeat of this situation in the future," the statement said.
(With AFP Inputs)
