Lanka cricket stars sorry for Enrique concert chaos

An entertainment company owned by two Sri Lankan cricket legends apologised Monday for an Enrique Iglesias concert where local women shed their underwear, sparking outrage from the country’s President.

Live Events, owned by Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, admitted that security “failed alarmingly” and apologised for the “negative experience” during the one-hour concert in Colombo on December 20. Fans had paid prices ranging from 5,000 rupees to 50,000 rupees ($350) for tickets to the show which was part of the Spanish star’s world tour, “Love and Sex”. They did not directly refer to President Maithripala Sirisena’s criticism that intoxicated local women had thrown their bras at the singer and kissed and hugged him. Sirisena did not name the two cricket stars, but it was widely known that the concert was hosted by a company set up recently by the pair after Sangakkara retired from international cricket in August. Live Events said they were considering refunding fans who were disappointed due to delays in starting the concert and the ensuing crowd chaos.

Those who had paid for the most expensive tickets were said to have been dislodged by people who bought cheaper tickets as security and crowd control arrangements failed.