Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has finally reacted to the controversy over his appearance at an event organised by the alumni of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) in Dubai, stating the row shocked him.
Afridi and another cricketer Umar Gul turned up at the dance event, organised by the alumni group Cochin University BTech Alumni Association (CUBAA), on May 25, sparking a row in the wake of the recent conflict with Pakistan. The event was hosted at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD), which has also added to the controversy.
The CUBAA immediately issued a statement claiming both Afridi and Gul weren't invited to the event and they made an "unsolicited and uninvited appearance" when the event was concluding.
However, the cricketer told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview that he was "surprised by the outrage" and justified his act, stating he believed "sports should rise above politics." "Let's not politicise things," Afridi said, adding that it wasn't even a planned appearance.
Bloomberg: Shahid Afridi turns up uninvited at Cochin Univ alumni event.
— Manni (@ThadhaniManish_) May 31, 2025
Organizers issue statement.
Once loud on Indian TV, now silently sneaking into Indian events?
From 'Boom Boom' to 'Bouncer at the gate' 🤡🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/IOSo1q9ANc
Also read: FACT CHECK: Did Kerala community in Dubai ‘invite’ Shahid Afridi to cultural event?
The cricketer said he ran a fitness centre at the PAD and some Indians saw him and Gul at the venue and invited them to the event. Afridi said the Indians "were excited to see us and we were happy".
Afridi, a vocal critic of the Indian government, had recently bashed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praised the Pakistan government for what he claimed was a befitting response to Indians. However, the cricketer, in a bid to justify himself, said the reaction to his presence was uncalled for. "Cricket has the power to bring people and countries closer. That’s something I’ve believed in throughout my career," he added.
He added that he had fond memories of his cricket tours to India and the respect he received from India was overwhelming. "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the love I got there, I didn’t get anywhere else, not even in Pakistan," Afridi told Khaleej Times.
Afridi who has earlier questioned India's mindset, now claims that he believed in the importance of dialogue and people-to-people connections in resolving issues between India and Pakistan. “If our politicians won’t talk and we don’t play each other, how will we ever solve anything?” he asked.
