Lancashire Apologizes After Fan Asked to Cover Pakistan Jersey

MANCHESTER: Following an occurrence on the final day of the England versus India Test match at Old Trafford, Lancashire County Cricket Club has issued a statement of regret. A spectator was asked to leave the premises after he declined to conceal his Pakistan cricket team shirt.

Farooq Nazar, the supporter, posted a video on social media that captured the exchange with security personnel.

The situation started when a staff member, who said he was employed by Lancashire, requested that he cover up his green Pakistan limited-overs jersey.

Nazar refused, and police officers later escorted him from the stadium.

Lancashire stated that the fan was “asked to leave the stadium by stewards and police officers due to unacceptable behaviour directed towards the stewarding team.”

The occurrence took place on Sunday, the Test’s last day. The club launched an internal investigation in response to online criticism and then released a public apology.

Lancashire also mentioned a previous day’s incident involving animosity between Indian and Pakistani supporters, which had an impact on how they handled the Nazar situation.

“Firstly, we wish to clarify that there was no intention to remove the individual simply for wearing a Pakistan cricket shirt,” the club stated.

“The approach was based on an incident on Saturday in which a group of fans waved a Pakistan national flag, escalating tensions with nearby Indian fans. In that instance, our stewards were able to defuse the situation by politely asking the people to put the flag away, which they did without hesitation,” the statement continued.

“Given this context, our team took a preventative, safety-first strategy on Sunday. In the interest of his own safety and to prevent any potential escalation, a stand supervisor politely asked the individual to cover his shirt. The individual repeatedly refused to comply, despite repeated polite requests from the supervisor and the response team.”

The incident occurs at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan are high, following a brief military conflict in May.

Political tensions have further impacted cricketing ties, with no bilateral series between the two nations since 2012–13 and no Test series since 2007–08.

Earlier in the week, diplomatic tensions carried over into a legends tournament in Birmingham, where the India Champions team declined to compete against Pakistan, forfeiting two games, including the semi-final of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025.