Ali Tareen, owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, has issued a sharply sarcastic “apology” after receiving a legal notice from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Framed as remorse, but delivered with barbs aside, his response took aim at the league’s stewardship while acknowledging the board’s complaints over alleged breaches of the 10-year franchise contract.
According to the release, the PCB accused Tareen of violating several clauses of the PSL franchise agreement and demanded both a public apology and a withdrawal of his critical remarks. It warned that failure to comply could trigger the termination of Multan Sultans’ contract and see Tareen blacklisted from the league – an ultimatum that significantly raised the stakes in the dispute.
Posting a video on his X account, Tareen appeared to follow the form while challenging the substance, using sarcastic language to question PSL’s leadership and decision-making.
Tareen began by outlining the PCB’s ultimatum before questioning the board’s approach to conflict. He expressed frustration at the lack of direct communication, stating that he never received “a single call, message, email or invitation asking to meet and resolve these issues together.”
“Instead I got a legal notice,” he said. “If you were more competent, you would know that these cases are not handled this way.” He accused the management of being surrounded by “yes men” and unable to accept criticism, and claimed that the league “belongs to the fans and to the whole of Pakistan, not to the handful of people who are currently running it.”
While he said his legal team saw no need for an apology, Tareen went on to offer one “because I want the PSL to improve.” However, his apology served to reiterate all of his previous complaints.
He apologized for expressing frustration when he noticed problems and for his critical remarks about what he perceived as a lack of professionalism.
He apologized for “criticizing the opening ceremony,” sarcastically praising the “fantastic” act of having “national stars… lip-sync.” He admitted it went “too far” to want the ceremony to “start on time, end on time and have the microphone work properly”.
He addressed minor grievances mentioned in the announcement, offering a sincere apology for being “10 minutes late” to a Zoom meeting and for claiming that “PSL wouldn’t have mistakes,” while sarcastically noting the flawless logistics that saw “half of your team in one hotel, and the other half in another.”
Tareen struck a conciliatory tone amidst the sarcasm and suggested a simple solution: “call me, offer me a cup of tea and a few biscuits and let’s sit together and talk.” He suggested they could agree to stop public criticism and work together to improve the league.
The video ended with Tareen tearing up the legal notice, a final act of defiance after his “apology”. He ended his statement with: “So I hope you like my apology video.”
