Cricket board bans Bangladeshis from flying rivals’ flags

Published March 25, 2014
File photo shows a crowd of cheering Bangladeshi fans.—Photo by AFP
File photo shows a crowd of cheering Bangladeshi fans.—Photo by AFP

DHAKA: The Bangladeshi hosts of cricket’s World Twenty20 threatened to ban local supporters Tuesday from stadiums if they are seen carrying the flags of any of the other teams competing in the tournament.

The order came after an outcry over images of locals waving Pakistani flags during the recently concluded Asia Cup, also held in Bangladesh.

A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) spokesman said the board had issued a directive after it “noticed that some local fans were flying foreign flags flouting the country’s flag rules”.

“We’ve received instruction in this regard,” the spokesman told AFP, without clarifying.

“As such we've ordered security officials and guards to make sure Bangladesh fans cannot carry or fly flags of foreign nations in the stadiums.”

Bangladesh was part of Pakistan before the 1971 war.

The BCB order came on the eve of Bangladesh’s 44th Independence Day celebrations, marking the day when the nation went to war against Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.
Missing links
Updated 27 Apr, 2024

Missing links

As the past decades have shown, the country has not been made more secure by ‘disappearing’ people suspected of wrongdoing.
Freedom to report?
27 Apr, 2024

Freedom to report?

AN accountability court has barred former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife from criticising the establishment...
After Bismah
27 Apr, 2024

After Bismah

BISMAH Maroof’s contribution to Pakistan cricket extends beyond the field. The 32-year old, Pakistan’s...