Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene © Getty Images
Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene © Getty Images
Colombo: Sri Lanka today blacklisted the organisers of a controversial concert featuring Latin American pop idol Enrique Iglesias here with the authorities threatening to initiate legal action if the company does not settle dues running into over USD two lakh. The December 20 show was organised by Live Events company partnered by Sri Lanka’s veteran cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. The Colombo Municipal Council threatened to legally challenge the organisers if the dues are not paid. “We have blacklisted them (Live Events) until they enter talks with us to settle the dues. If they don’t pay we will resort to legal action,” Colombo Mayor AJM Muzammil said. ALSO READ: Kumar Sangakkara feels World Test Championship can address persisting issues

They owe 29 million Sri Lankan Rupee (USD two lakh) to the Council, he said. Muzammil alleged that the event promoter named Live Events had concealed the number of tickets printed for the show held at Colombo’s rugby headquarters on December 20. “They have printed three thousand more tickets than the 7,000 declared to us,” the Mayor said. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena saw the concert as an attack on the country’s cultural values where a girl had thrown her bra at Latin American pop idol Enrique Iglesias while another got on the stage to be kissed by the singer. ALSO READ: Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene apologise for Enrique Iglesias concert chaos

Sirisena said the event organisers deserved whipping for ignoring the cultural values and he would not allow such events to be held in future. He strongly condemned the “uncivilized behavior” of fans during the concert and said the incident was an attack on the country’s cultural values. Sangakkara and Jayawardene, who were overseas on the day, in a Facebook post have apologized for the shortcomings and pledged compensation for the show goers.