Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, there have been speculations over the future of sports in the country. It is in this context, a social media post claiming that since the Taliban refused to sponsor Afghanistan for the ongoing T20 world cup, it is captain Mohammad Nabi who is bearing all the expenses of the team out of his pocket, is doing rounds on the internet. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Afghan captain Mohammad Nabi is sponsoring the team for the ongoing T20 world cup.
Fact: Sediki group is sponsoring the Afghanistan cricket team for the T20 world cup. Afghanistan cricket board officially announced the same. Further, we did not find any reports stating either Taliban refusing to sponsor the team or Nabi himself sponsoring the team for the world cup. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search led us to a tweet by the Afghanistan cricket board on 14 October 2021, which announced that Sediki Group has officially secured the Afghan national team’s sponsorship rights for the T20 world cup.
Afghanistan cricket board earlier invited tenders for the sponsorship rights for the T20 world cup back in June 2021. On the official website of the Afghanistan cricket board, Sediki Group is listed as an ACB sponsor among the sponsors and partner brands of the ACB.
Further, in the ongoing T20 world cup, Afghan players can be seen sporting team jersey with the Sediki Group logo on them.
Also, we did not find any reports stating that the Taliban refused to sponsor the Afghan team for the T20 world cup or that Mohammad Nabi himself sponsoring the team. Moreover, Suhail Shaheen, Taliban spokesperson and representative to the UN, tweeted congratulating the team on their victory over Namibia on 31 October 2021.
However, the Taliban expressed reservations against the women’s participation in sports. Afghanistan Cricket Board’s recently appointed Chairman Azizullah Fazli told Al Jazeera that as of now there is no ban imposed on Afghan women’s cricket. ‘We’ve not been asked to stop women from playing cricket. We’ve had a women’s team for 18 years. But what we need to keep in mind is our religion and culture. If women adhere to that [attire]there is no problem in them taking part in sporting activities’ he added.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia said it would call off the 27 November Test with Afghanistan if the Taliban regime bans women from playing cricket.
To sum it up, Mohammad Nabi is not sponsoring the Afghan cricket team for the T20 world cup.
