Cricket legend Sangakkara alleges discrimination by Ryanair staff in Dublin
Dhaka: Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara has alleged discriminatory and threatening behavior by Ryanair gate staff at Dublin Airport while he was traveling with his family.
The 48-year-old batting great shared the incident in a social media post on October 28, describing the experience as shocking and unacceptable.
"Has anyone experienced discriminatory gate personnel @Ryanair in Dublin?" Sangakkara wrote.
"I with my family just did and it was shocking. The tone of address and the mishandling of procedure and threatening behavior. Unacceptable for any passenger. First bad experience in Dublin."
Sangakkara did not explain what led to the confrontation. He appeared deeply upset by how the airline's staff treated his family.
Fellow Sri Lankan national Sanjiva Weerawarana responded to the post with his own experience. He said he had faced discrimination across the West over more than four decades, including 16 years of living there, and no longer wished to travel there unless necessary.
Sangakkara replied that it is "quite jarring" when one experiences it. The exchange showed how much the alleged incident had affected him.
Legendary wicket-keeper batter Sangakkara represented Sri Lanka in 134 Tests, 404 ODIs, and 56 T20Is. He is regarded as one of the greatest batters in cricket history.
Ryanair's response
Ryanair later disputed the circumstances of the incident. The airline claimed Sangakkara initially declined to show the required visa documents when a gate agent asked for them during mandatory immigration checks.
"This passenger refused to provide the required visa documentation when requested by a gate agent carrying out mandatory immigration checks," Ryanair said in a statement, according to media reports.
The carrier said the former cricketer was cleared to travel after the checks were completed and his eligibility was verified.
"Following completion of these checks and verification of this passenger's eligibility to travel, this passenger travelled on this scheduled flight from Dublin to Bristol (28 Oct)," the statement added.
