SLC apologises to assaulted fans

By Madushka Balasuriya

Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday apologised to fans that were allegedly assaulted at the ticket counters at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) in Hambantota, during the second ODI between Sri Lanka and West Indies on Wednesday.

Daily FT understands that the clashes had arisen following a shortage of tickets at the stadium.

“There were some 9000 more people that had turned up to the stadium than we had anticipated,” a source at SLC told Daily FT. 

The MRICS has a maximum capacity of 20,000, of which roughly 3500 seats had been booked prior to the game. Based on the number of bookings, SLC had printed a further 4500 tickets for sale at the stadium, which would have been in keeping with previous attendance figures at Hambantota. However, with an unexpected surge in demand for tickets on the day of the game, thousands of fans were left stranded and outraged, ultimately leading to clashes with police.

According to SLC, after the incident, fans were allowed into the stadium free of charge, with TV cameras capturing packed stands throughout the game.

Meanwhile, Sports Minister Dallas Alahapperuma yesterday called on SLC to conduct a full investigation into the incident, while UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa took to social media to call on the Government to launch an investigation.

When questioned about possible compensation for those fans that were allegedly assaulted by the security personnel at the stadium, an SLC source said any decision would only be taken after the conclusion of an investigation.