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Is IND vs PAK Really A Compulsion Looking At Sanctions Posed In Past For Boycotting WC, Asia Cup

Abhinav Tyagi

India vs Pakistan - (Source : Johns/X.com)India vs Pakistan - (Source : Johns/X.com)

The day is here when India lock horns against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on September 14. It will be the first time that the two teams square off against each other since Operation Sindoor. 

The tensions between the two nations are at an all-time high, and the internet is filled with the '#BoycottAsiaCup' trend. The fans are unhappy with the BCCI for allowing India to lock horns against Pakistan despite the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. 

BCCI Opens Up On Going Ahead With Indo-Pak Clash

When asked about the reason behind allowing the India-Pakistan match to go ahead, several BCCI officials and members from the sports ministry have mentioned that the board has little or no control over multi-country tournaments such as the Asia Cup and the World Cup. 

"We have decided to participate in the Asia Cup because it is a multinational competition. It is just like an Olympic, any FIFA tournament, AFC tournament, or International Athletics Tournament. So we cannot boycott the multinational tournament because if we boycott this tournament, that will bring a lot of negativity for all our future endeavours of hosting any multinational tournament in the country," BCCI secretary Saikia recently told Hindustan Times.

Not only that, but the ministers and office bearers have remarked that the upcoming fixture is merely a compulsion for India. But is it really? Notably, India won't be the first team to boycott games in major events, and several teams have done it before. So what is stopping the Men in Blue from doing so- repercussions and sanctions? Meanwhile, this article will shed light on those past instances and the repercussions that followed. 

Instances Of Teams Boycotting Asia Cup And World Cup Games

TeamTournamentMatch/OpponentReason for Boycott
India1986 Asia CupFull tournament (Sri Lanka)Security concerns amid war/unrest in Sri Lanka. Gov’t advised against travel.
Pakistan1990–91 Asia CupFull tournament (India)Strained diplomatic & political relations with India.
Australia1996 World CupSri Lanka (group match)Security concerns—terror attack in Colombo before tournament.
West Indies1996 World CupSri Lanka (group match)Security concerns—same terrorist threat as Australia.
England2003 World CupZimbabwe (group match)Political unrest & government instruction due to Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe.
New Zealand2003 World CupKenya (group match)Security and safety fears in Kenya at the time.

Looking at the table, India and Pakistan boycotted the entire Asia Cup tournament in 1986 and 1990. However, it doesn't relate with the present situation as India are asked to boycott just one match.

However, the likes of Australia, West Indies boycotted playing against Sri Lanka because of security reasons, whereas England and New Zealand opted out of matches against Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively. Now lets look at the repurcussions imposed after boycotting. 

Did The Teams Who Boycotted World Cup Games Face Any Penalty Or Repurcussions?

It is worth noting that back then, the teams refused to play their group stage games and the ICC decided to consider it as a forefit game. Eventually, the opponent were awarded the points and teams which boycotted it, didn't appeal against the decision and the matter got closed there and then.

So, in case for BCCI, if they fear some repurcussions or sanctions from the ACC, then it is not the case as India can opt to forefit their game against Pakistan, which will just result in the Men in Green getting two points. 

Thus, the narrative that the upcoming match is a compulsion is false and there are options where the Men in Blue can avoid to play against Pakistan and respect the fans' emotions.