A random guy just made a video with Sarfaraz Ahmed in which he fat-shamed the skipper, saying he’s fat like a pig.

Not only is the World Cup monumental, but Pakistan vs India matches are also always a huge deal for both the nations. Pakistanis were hoping for a win but couldn’t get one. The captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, was heavily blamed for the loss on social media and on TV. All of that made sense until people started blaming his fitness for the loss and resorted to what was considered to be fat-shaming by many.

The skipper, Sarfaraz, was ridiculed for his fitness during the match and afterward as well. Pakistani old timer, Shoaib Akhtar, commented on Sarfaraz’s physical fitness by saying “Itna bara pait hai Sarfraz ka itna bara munh hai uska pehla Pakistani captain dekha hai itna unfit“.

 

People were relentless in unleashing their anger at Sarfaraz’s fitness after the stunning defeat to India

Memes were made. Exhibit A:

https://twitter.com/TheUmarHussain/status/1140619262404497408

 

As if this wasn’t bad enough, a video just surfaced on the internet in which a dude fat-shamed Sarfaraz in public.

I’m gonna give you a second to comprehend his words. Done? Okay, let’s break it down:

The video opens with a dude asking the skipper “…aap suar jaisay motay kyon hoay ho?” Rough translation: Why have you become as fat as a pig?

Sarfaraz can be seen hanging out with his child when this guy approaches him and asks him why he has become fat like a pig. I don’t think I have to point out how wrong this is. HIS CHILD IS WITH HIM. And even if he wasn’t, it is NOT okay to directly attack someone like this. He is clearly not on the pitch or representing the team when he’s out with his family, let him be. Not to mention, this is blatant body-shaming. To top it off, he advises Sarfaraz to go on a diet.

I mean…really? Our cricket fans expect our players to be mature on the field and off the field yet their own actions are like this. I really hope you see the hypocrisy here. I can understand that you, as a fan, would want your team to be in the best physical shape possible. But that does not mean that you get to ridicule them when they’re off their job, especially if they’re with their family in a public space. Even the evil smile on the guy’s face is disgusting.

 

Desi Twitter took this shit to heart and went haywire. 

https://twitter.com/MurtazaViews/status/1142078534220840961?s=19

Calling someone out like this in front of their child is disgusting and just plain wrong.

https://twitter.com/GoStudyAsad/status/1142095860391718912?s=19

And then comparing him to a pig? Awful.

https://twitter.com/CricerzFantasy/status/1142057796978061312?s=19

https://twitter.com/haseemuzzaman/status/1142113916627161088?s=19

People commended Sarfaraz for keeping his cool.

https://twitter.com/IAmAdilMughal/status/1142116725145722884?s=19

People also discussed the double-standard that was being practiced here. They compared how Sarfaraz was treated after the Champions Trophy victory to this.

Finally, we had an interesting take on the situation as well.

This brings up an interesting debate as well; is it ever justified to body-shame a sportsperson?

There are two “schools of thought” here. One believes that it is not okay and no one should be fat-shamed. The other school of thought believes that becoming a sportsperson means you agree to give your physical fitness your time and effort and an unfit person is only harming the team. Which one is right and which one is wrong is and will always be a personal opinion. I side with the latter – I believe that the players should be physically fit. However, there’s a difference between criticism and disrespect and it’s high time we learned that.

In light of the backlash, however, some developments took place. #WeStandWithSarfaraz actually started trending and people came out in support.

Via Twitter

Sarfaraz was also trending, and people spoke up further about how our culture encourages us to make fun of our players – to the point when things get out of hand, it’s too late. This incident is a reminder of the same. Since we normalized and fed into the notion that our team has to be ridiculed, one guy with a camera took it a bit too far.

 

Given the situation, though, the dude who fat-shamed Sarfaraz also released an apology. 

https://twitter.com/Muhamma36770323/status/1142212658252455936

He talks about how he’s seen his video circulating and he’s extremely apologetic for his actions. His first apology is directed to those offended by the video. He states that he hadn’t uploaded the video and had, in fact, deleted it when Sarfaraz got angry there and then. He claims to have apologized to Sarfaraz in person as well, right after the skipper confronted him for saying what he had. Furthermore, he states he has no idea how the now-viral video was uploaded and that he was unaware of the consequences.  He also claims he did not know that the child in the video was Sarfaraz’s.

 

However, people still don’t seem too convinced.

They believe he’s apologizing due to the backlash and not due to his actions.

I mean, his first apology was directed to everyone else, instead of Sarfaraz.

Some people think he’s twisting facts to seem more innocent.

Basically, no one’s buying it.

What’s your take on this? Do you think the apology is sincere? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Shoaib Akhtar Commenting On Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Fitness Has Started A Heated Debate Online Regarding Body-Shaming

 

Sania Mirza Just Defended Hasan Ali After People Trolled Him For Eating Pizza After Matches

 

Cover image via: @semperfiutd via Twitter / indiatimes.com