Fact Check: Did Taliban refuse to sponsor Afghan cricket team for T20 World Cup?
As India plays against Afghanistan on Wednesday in the ICC T20 World Cup, rumours that the Taliban has refused to sponsor the Afghan cricket team are circulating on social media.
By Misha Rajani Published on 4 Nov 2021 4:00 AM GMT
Hyderabad: As India plays against Afghanistan on Wednesday in the ICC T20 World Cup, rumours that the Taliban has refused to sponsor the Afghan cricket team are circulating on social media. Netizens claim that captain Mohammad Nabi is sponsoring the team.
The post reads "Taliban refused to sponsor the Afghan cricket team to the T20 World Cup 2021. Mohammad Nabi came forward and spent his own money to get the team to the World Cup. He is sponsoring the Afghan Team with his own money."
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Fact Check:
The claim is false.
On 14 October, the Afghanistan Cricket Board tweeted that the Sediki Grup has officially secured the Afghan National team's sponsorship rights for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. It was the highest bidder with $450,000 and is the official sponsors for the team. Clearly, Mohammad Nabi did not spend his own money to sponsor the team.
In an interview with India Today, the Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Hamid Shinwari said that the Taliban has been supportive of the game in the country and that players will not face any trouble representing the senior national team. Shinwari said he doesn't see any impediments for the sport in the country even after the regime change.
The Tablian indeed seems to support the team as Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesperson and its representative to the United Nations, congratulated the team when it won against Namibia.
India Today reached out to Mohammad Nabi and received confirmation through his sports and media management company that the viral message is fake.
Clearly, the Afghan team is not being sponsored by Mohammad Nabi for the T20 World Cup. Thus, the claim is false.
