India cricket fans brawl with airport staff
Cricket fans in India got into ‘fisticuffs’ with airline staff when their flight from New Delhi was delayed meaning they would miss the India-Pakistan World Cup match in Adelaide.
The Air India flight was meant to leave at 1pm but crew shortage meant the passengers were still waiting at 9pm.
Once they realized the flight would not get to Sydney in time to board a connecting flight to Adelaide for the match tempers frayed.
The huge grudge match, expected to draw a tv audience of more than one billion, was billed as one of the highlights of the Cup.
And with fans having forked over large sums of money for the flights and tickets the anger at the airport was palpable.
The Times of India reported that airport security was then called in to control fans and Air India staff where told to steer clear of the area so as to ‘avoid being manhandled by angry … passengers”.
That was apparently harder than expected.
"As the hours passed, passengers got into heated arguments and fisticuffs with the airline staff," The Times of India reported.
It is unknown whether the flight eventually did leave and whether any of the passengers were able to reach Adelaide for the game.
It was not the only violent act surrounding the game after 40 people became involved in a brawl at a Western Sydney RSL club while watching.
