The International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued an apology to those cricket lovers who came to watch Afghanistan versus Pakistan clash with valid tickets but could not enter the Dubai International Cricket Stadium after thousands of ticketless fans tried to enter the stadium, which created chaos.
The ICC confirmed that more than 16,000 tickets had been sold for the match between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but many ticketless supporters attempted forced entry.
“More than 16,000 tickets had been issued for tonight’s game between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, thousands of ticketless fans travelled to the venue and then attempted to force entry into the stadium,” said the ICC in its statement.
The international apex body said the Dubai police and ground security managed to safeguard all the fans inside 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. At approximately 7 pm, Dubai Police directed that all gates should remain closed and no further entry was permitted to maintain a safe and controlled environment inside the venue,” the statement added.
Further, ICC issued an apology to the fans who could not enter the stadium despite having valid tickets. ICC mentioned that Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) would do a full investigation of the matter and make sure such an event does not arise in the future.
“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 ICC and ECB apologise to any fans with valid tickets who were unable to enter the stadium tonight and request they contact the ticket provider,” the statement added further.
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