Claim: A video shows former cricketer Shahid Afridi being beaten up by fans after Pakistan lost to India in the 2007 T20 World Cup final.
Fact: The video, in fact, shows Afridi charging at and attacking a crowd of hysterical fans who were grabbing at him. The incident occurred on his return to Pakistan, following the country’s victory in the Asia Cup against Bangladesh in March 2012. Afridi reportedly got angry after his daughter fell to the ground.
On 24 September, an X user posted a video (archive) that apparently shows former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi being beaten up by the public after Pakistan lost the 2007 T20 World Cup final. The post reads:
“This is how Afridi was welcomed in Pakistan after India beat Pakistan in 2007 T20 World Cup Final.”
“OTD Afridi was beaten like a dog by his own public in his own country”.
The video was shared on Facebook and Instagram with the same claim.
Fact or Fiction?
The video in the claim features a Geo News logo and a “Geo News Exclusive” watermark, indicating that the news channel was the original source of the footage.
Taking cues from this, Soch Fact Check reverse-searched its keyframes and found the original video (archive) posted by Geo News on its YouTube channel on 24 March 2012. The video, titled “Geo Reports-Shahid Afridi attacks fan at airport- 23 Mar 2012”, matches the footage from the claim, starting from the 0:29 mark.
Since the title of the video said that the incident took place on 23 March 2012 and it was posted on YouTube in 2012, we noted that it was likely not from 2007 when India beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final. The description of the post further reads:
“Shahid Afridi attacks fan at airport:
KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi attacked and slapped a fan at Karachi airport after he returned home from Dhaka, where Pakistan won the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh on Thursday.”
Contrary to the claim, the video does not show him being beaten up. In fact, it begins with showing a physical altercation between the crowd and Afridi, and ultimately shows the cricketer behaving violently towards them. Moreover, the clip actually depicts a moment when Afridi raises his hand to slap and then charges at the crowd. This is when he shouts, “Get away from here, there are kids here.”
According to Geo News (at 1:10), the cricketer became angry because his daughter had fallen to the ground, likely due to the frenzied fans at the airport.
The Telegraph also posted a video on YouTube on 24 March 2012, showing the same incident from a different angle, titled “Cricketer Shahid Afridi attacks fan at airport”.
Reuters also reported on 23 March 2012 that the incident of Afridi attacking a fan took place after he returned to Pakistan, following the country’s victory in the Asia Cup against Bangladesh.
He lost his temper as his daughter had fallen to the ground, the report added and quoted him as saying: “I know what I did was wrong, I should have controlled my temper… But when I saw my little daughter pushed to the ground I couldn’t take it and lost my cool.”
Soch Fact Check thus rates the claim as false, as the video does not show Afridi being beaten by the Pakistani public after the country lost to India in the 2007 T20 World Cup final. Instead, it shows him being angry at the hysterical crowd and attacking a fan in 2012.
Virality
The X post garnered 1.6 million views and was liked 24,000 times.
It also appeared on X here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The clip was also shared on Instagram here and on Facebook here.
Conclusion: The video does not depict the public beating former cricketer Shahid Afridi after Pakistan lost to India in the 2007 T20 World Cup final. Instead, it shows Afridi attacking a crowd of hysterical fans who were grabbing at him after he returned to Pakistan, following the country’s victory in the Asia Cup against Bangladesh in March 2012.
Background image in cover photo: The Guardian
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