Pakistan Coach Pursues Legal Action Against Match-Fixing Claims

Pakistan men's team assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has said that those engaging in false allegations and narratives targeting his family "will be dealt with through legal action." Pakistan's T20 World Cup woeful campaign ended on a heartbreaking note. The Babar Azam-led side crashed out of the tournament in the group stage. Mahmood stated that he is upset to hear such claims that are false and baseless. "I have heard some false allegations and narratives circulating on social media and other media platforms. I categorically state that these allegations are entirely baseless and false, and it is extremely upsetting to hear them," Mahmood wrote on X.

My Statement on False Allegations & Legal Action. pic.twitter.com/UQiWoOFZzP — Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) June 22, 2024

The Pakistan assistant coach urged people to refrain from engaging with such narratives. He even stated that he would take legal action against those who are responsible for spreading such narratives.

"This culture of falsely accusing and misleading people to believe a false narrative is now getting ridiculous and dangerous. Speaking without evidence and misconstruing facts is a criminal offence, and those engaging in such behaviour will be dealt with through legal action," he wrote.

"Pursuing an increase in followers and media attention by spreading falsehoods is downright unacceptable. I will be pursuing legal advice against those responsible for making these false allegations towards me and my family, and strict action will be taken accordingly. We will not be discussing this matter further on social media. I urge everyone to avoid engaging with or entertaining these harmful narratives as it is essential to put an end to such behaviour in our media culture," he concluded.

Earlier, while citing sources, Geo News reported that skipper Babar Azam was also likely to take legal action against YouTubers and former cricketers who accused him of 'misconduct' during their campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Sources informed Geo News that during Pakistan's campaign, a social media campaign was used to "target" Babar, which made him feel "disheartened."

It was also reported that evidence related to statements made by YouTubers and former cricketers was being collected by the Pakistan Cricket Board's legal department.