Multan Sultans co-owner Ali Tareen has issued the public apology the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) demanded – but his delivery, a five-minute social-media video thick with sarcasm, looks more likely to fan the flames than settle the dispute.
The PCB served Tareen with a legal notice on 12 September, accusing him of breaching his Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise agreement and of making “false, malicious, baseless, and defamatory allegations” in the build-up to season ten. The notice threatened the board’s most severe sanction: blacklisting Tareen from franchise ownership, a move that would wrest Multan Sultans from his control.
In his reply, recorded in front of a camera while brandishing the letter, Tareen appeared contrite only in the narrowest legal sense. “You don’t even want to work with your stakeholders,” he said, waving the document. “You cannot bear any criticism from anyone. If you were even remotely competent, you would have known this is not the way to manage things.”
The apology that followed was anything but straightforward. “Only a big man apologises. I apologise for wanting to make the PSL better,” he continued. “I apologise for raising my voice when I saw problems. It is my fault, not yours, that I was dissatisfied with your mediocre mindset. I apologise for being unhappy that you give yourselves so much credit for doing so little.”
He also mocked the league’s operational glitches, citing persistent microphone failures during the player draft and pre-recorded vocals at the opening ceremony. The video ended with Tareen ripping the notice in two: “I hope you like my apology video.”
A PCB spokesperson said the board would consult its lawyers before deciding whether the apology satisfies the notice. The document had warned that Tareen was deliberately trying to depress the league’s value ahead of the year-end franchise re-evaluation, allegedly so he could buy ownership rights at a cheaper rate. Other teams, the PCB claims, urged the board to act sooner, arguing Tareen was “attempting to sabotage the marketing campaign and value of the PSL brand”.
Behind the legal wording sits a broader question about how the league should be run. Franchise representatives privately say regular dialogue with Lahore has grown tetchy, with operational decisions – venue allocations, sponsor deals, player availability – often confirmed late. One coastal-city official said, off the record, that “the board wants obedience, not partnership”, though that view is not universal; another owner described relations as “robust but workable”.
Commercial lawyer Farah Ahmed believes the PCB must decide quickly whether to escalate. “If they let this pass, future disagreements could get even more public,” she said. “Conversely, banning an owner is drastic and risks court action, which neither side really wants with a new broadcast deal looming.”
Tareen’s stance has support among parts of the Multan fan-base. “He’s blunt but he’s fighting for transparency,” said season-ticket holder Saif Malik, pointing to last year’s delayed salary payments to some domestic players. Yet others fear the row could distract from on-field matters. Head coach Abdul Rehman is due to assemble the squad in a fortnight; privately he hopes the headlines will soon return to run-rates and fielding drills.
For now, both parties appear locked in a stand-off. The PCB has the power to impose financial penalties or, in theory, remove Tareen. He, in turn, retains a sizable social-media following and – crucially – an asset the league can ill afford to lose: a successful, well-supported franchise.
Short-term, a compromise remains possible. Long-term, the episode has exposed a widening fault line between board and investors. As one senior agent observed: “The PSL cannot grow if owners and administrators treat each other as either ‘yes-men and minions’ or mortal enemies. That middle ground is where sustainable leagues live.”
