Sangakkara said he and his family had an unpleasant experience with Ryanair's gate staff in Dublin. In his post on X, he questioned whether other passengers had also faced similar discrimination at the hands of the airline's employees.
Describing the incident as his first unpleasant experience in Dublin, Sangakkara said the staff members' manner of speaking was inappropriate and their behaviour was threatening.
His post attracted several responses from social media users, including Sri Lankan Sanjeewa Weerawarana, who shared his own experiences of facing discrimination while living and travelling abroad.
Responding to Weerawarana, Sangakkara said encountering such an incident was deeply distressing.
Ryanair had not issued an official response to Sangakkara's allegations. It also remained unclear whether the airline was investigating the matter. For now, the incident has become a subject of public discussion based on the experience shared by Sangakkara.
Ryanair is one of Ireland's leading low-cost airlines, with its headquarters in Swords, County Dublin.
The incident has also brought renewed attention to concerns about racial discrimination against people of Asian origin in Ireland and prejudice towards foreigners.
Sangakkara, meanwhile, remains one of Sri Lanka's most successful cricketers.
He retired from international cricket in 2015 after a distinguished career in which he achieved numerous milestones as both a batter and wicketkeeper.
Has anyone experienced discriminatory gate personnel @Ryanair in Dublin ? I with my family just did and it was shocking. The tone of address and the mishandling of procedure and threatening behavior. Unacceptable for any passenger. First bad experience in Dublin
— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) October 28, 2026
Across 594 international matches, Sangakkara scored 28,016 runs, including 63 centuries and 153 half-centuries.
Even after retiring from international cricket, he remained closely associated with the sport. He currently serves as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
During his tenure, the franchise reached the IPL final after a long wait, although it lost to Gujarat Titans (GT).
In the 2026 season, Rajasthan Royals were eliminated from the race for the title after losing in Qualifier 2.
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