When India refused to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy due to security concerns, the English media and former cricketers like Nasser Hussain, David Lloyd and Michael Atherton were quick to criticise. They accused India of gaining an unfair advantage by playing all their matches in Dubai while other teams had to shuttle between Pakistan and Dubai.
However, now when England have denied a visa to Russian footballer Arsen Zakharyan, preventing him from playing in a must-win UEFA Europa League match, their outrage is nowhere to be found. The same people who spoke about fairness and a level playing field conveniently ignored their own country’s blatant discrimination on geopolitical terms.
English media’s outrage on India’s Champions Trophy
The English media wasted no time in targeting India, claiming that the hybrid model of the tournament unfairly benefited them. Atherton claimed that India has an “undeniable advantage“ by playing at one venue, while Hussain called it a “home advantage” disguised under a tournament model change.
They conveniently ignored the fact that India refused to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns, a decision backed by the ICC, which led to the adjusted schedule. It is true that India had no major issues on logistical terms as compared to other nations. However, the Rohit Sharma and his men played quite high-quality cricket throughout the tournament in order to clinch their third Champions Trophy title. New Zealand came close but couldn’t save themselves from a heartbreaking loss in the final.
England’s Hypocrisy during Manchester United game
While England and its media were busy criticising India’s stance, their own hypocrisy was laid bare when Real Sociedad’s Russian player, Arsen Zakharyan, was denied a visa to enter the UK for a Europa League clash against Manchester United. Despite being an international footballer with 8 caps for Russia, Zakharyan was inexplicably blocked from traveling, forcing him to stay behind in Paris while his team played without him.
This is an example of England’s double standards. They have no qualms about criticising India’s stance on Pakistan but refuse entry to a player simply because of his nationality. If travel and fair competition were such big concerns for English critics, where is their outrage when their own government restricts players based on political biases?
Talking about the Manchester United vs Real Sociedad’s fixture, the Red Devils easily thumped the Spanish club. Bruno Fernandes was in a beast mode as he claimed a hat-trick to send United to the Europa League quarter-finals, where they will face France’s Lyon.
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