‘Muhammad Ali was an eminent sportstar of Kerala’: Kerala sports minister

IANS | By, Thiruvananthapuram
Updated on: Jun 04, 2016 07:55 pm IST
Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) trains at his Pennsylvanian mountain retreat in Owigsburg.(Reuters Photo)
Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) trains at his Pennsylvanian mountain retreat in Owigsburg.(Reuters Photo)

The social media is having a field day over the faux pas made by Kerala Industry and Sports Minister E.P.Jayarajan in his obituary reference on late boxing legend Muhammad Ali on Saturday.

The social media is having a field day over the faux pas made by Kerala Industry and Sports Minister E.P.Jayarajan in his obituary reference on late boxing legend Muhammad Ali on Saturday.

Senior CPI-M leader Jayarajan, by virtue of being the new sports minister, when asked by a TV channel for his reaction to the death of Ali started by saying that “he just heard the news that Muhammad Ali passed away in America”.

READ: ‘The Greatest’ boxing legend Muhammad Ali dies at 74

He then made a complete mess by saying that, “Ali was an eminent sports personality of Kerala and is one who has won a gold medal thereby raising Kerala’s position in the world.”

As he was going ahead, the TV news anchor acted swiftly to save the minister further embarrassment and cut the audio.

But now the social media is having a field day over this with trolls going forward in a big way and one comment reading, “had not the anchor intervened, the minister would have announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs five lakhs and a state government job for Ali’s daughter.”

Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
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