Image courtesy of: The Guardian
Ahmed wanted to remove the VB logo due to his religious beliefs
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has lashed out after a number of racist comments were directed towards Pakistan-born spinner Fawad Ahmed after he requested that the VB beer logo be removed from his shirt.
Ahmed, who became an Australian citizen in July after his application was fast-tracked, did not have the logo present when representing the national team against England.
According to reports, he asked for the beer logo to be removed after expressing “discomfort with the conflict this created for him, due to his religious beliefs”.
Cricket Australia granted his request, which led to a host of racist comments popping up on the board’s website and other social media platforms.
“Legitimate reason RELIGION, no its not, it’s a game of cricket, not praying at a church,” one comment said. “It is driven by money and fans not by religious fanatics. Those who don’t like the Australian culture should leave, or keep misguided values to themselves.”
Sutherland stated that he was sickened by the comments.
“Cricket Australia would like to express its extreme disappointment over racist comments towards Fawad Ahmed on social media…some of which are falsely attributed to former Australian cricketer Dean Jones,” Sutherland said. “CA does not condone racism in any way, shape or form.
“CA is fully supportive of Fawad’s personal beliefs and he is a valued and popular member of the Australian cricket team and the wider cricket community.”
South Africa batsman Hashim Amla also found himself in a similar position after asking Cricket South Africa to remove the Castle Lager logo from his shirt.