Will ICC take action against Pakistan’s complaint about ‘rowdy’ Indian fans at World Cup?

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is unlikely to take action on the complaint filed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the crowd’s “inappropriate conduct” towards its team during their ICC Cricket World Cup match against India.

India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in a one-sided affair in front of a jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Over 100,000 home fans were witness to India’s eighth World Cup win against Pakistan, while only three Pakistani-American fans were in the stands to support the Men in Green, according to media reports.

ICC won’t take any action for PCB’s complaint since the governing body’s anti-discrimination code is restricted to individuals and does not cover groups, according to experts.

When Pakistan skipper Babar Azam began speaking at the toss ahead of India vs Pakistan on 14 October, he immediately received loud boos from the crowd. When Mohammad Rizwan was walking back after being dismissed by fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, some Indian fans allegedly chanted “Jai Shri Ram” (hail Lord Ram) –  a Hindu religious slogan.

“The ICC takes every complaint very seriously but code is about individuals. I don’t know what exactly is PCB looking at but it will be very difficult to take any tangible action,” a veteran official, who has worked in both BCCI and ICC told PTI.

“The ICC may identify individuals if there are charges of racism but if thousands of people are shouting a slogan, what can you do? No player was injured by any ‘missile’ hurled from the gallery? A partisan crowd is expected. That’s the pressure of elite sport.”

The ICC displays its stand on racism and zero tolerance policy through billboards during its events, as per its standard protocol.

The latest example of collective racism in sport is Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior’s case when he threatened to walk off the pitch in the second half of a La Liga match against Valencia last season after being targeted with racist slurs.

The governing body of football didn’t let the incident pass without action. It sanctioned the partial closure of a stand at Valencia’s home ground Mestalla Stadium for five games and the club was slapped with a fine of €45,000 (£39,000).

The sanction was later reduced to three games of partial closure and a fine of €27,000 (£23,000) after the club appealed against the decision. Spanish police eventually identified seven people and detained them. The offenders were also banned from entering any stadium in Spain for the next three years.

Pakistan’s team director Mickey Arthur also reacted to his side barely having any support against India, suggesting that the match appeared to be a bilateral game and not an ICC event.

Arthur also highlighted the lack of Pakistani music on the Narendra Modi Stadium’s playlist, specifically mentioning Dil, Dil Pakistan, a song that is usually played at Pakistan matches at ICC events.