Alumni association of Kerala college apologises after backlash over hosting Shahid Afridi in Dubai

Kerala expatriate community in Dubai apologizes for welcoming Shahid Afridi, clarifies it was not intentional, amid backlash.

A Kerala expatriate community in Dubai, which is facing intense online backlash over a warm welcome extended to Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi in a recent programme, has apologised for the incident and clarified that it was not intentional.

The Cochin University Btech Alumni Association (CUBAA), UAE, has been under attack for some days after a video, showcasing Afridi being welcomed enthusiastically during a recent programme organised by them in Dubai, went viral on social media handles.

In the video, it can be seen that the crowd cheering Afridi and chanting his nickname "boom boom" when he addressed the gathering. In his brief address, the cricketer was seen praising Kerala and its cuisines.

The warm hospitality extended to the Pakistan cricketer didn't go well with a large number of netizens and right-wing supporters.

They attacked the CUBAA office-bearers, citing the Pakistan cricketer's recent controversial remarks against India and its Army in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack.

When a social media user described the act as "shameful", another netizen said "they are fetting someone who has been trash-talking our country."

As the incident triggered a widespread row, the CUBAA office-bearers, on Friday (May 30, 2025) came out with an Instagram post expressing apology over the incident and said it was not intentional.