Senior officials at the ECB have admitted that their current reporting system for racism in sport is inadequate and are now planning to revamp it.
As the whistleblower of Azeem Rafiq is expected to inspire others to share their experiences and seek justice, the governing body anticipates a surge in racism complaints in the wake the Azeem Rasiq scandal.
Bilal Shafayat was a Nottinghamshire former batsman. He claimed that a Yorkshire ex-fast bowler called him “smelly” when he was batting during matches. Other allegations of racism are constantly being raised.
Cricket’s world is still reeling after the scandal surrounding Yorkshire Cricket Club’s racism.
Adam Rafiq is likely to inspire others by his whistleblowing and spark a flood of complaints
The ECB admitting the shortcomings of its reporting system echos a survey by the Professional Cricketers Association that was conducted earlier in the year. It found that nearly half of professional cricketers in England or Wales did not know how to report racism.
In addition a quarter of the respondents said they had experienced or witnessed racism in the game, and of those 60 per cent believe the abuse was disguised as ‘banter,’ the pretext given by Yorkshire for not taking disciplinary action against Gary Ballance despite his admission of calling Rafiq a ‘P**i.’
Privately, the ECB acknowledged that the existing systems must be improved to facilitate victims’ complaints reporting. At present, the only way to submit a complaint is through their online website.
In support of Rafiq, protests were held at Yorkshire’s Headingley arena
An enhanced service, which offers anonymous calling and reports via text and social media app will launch in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the ECB and data professionals are talking with them about compiling a better picture of the incidences of racism throughout the country.
Lord’s acknowledges, too that they should have been quicker in demanding more transparency from Yorkshire regarding the handling of Rafiq’s complaint investigation. This took over a year.
The ECB is currently investigating whether it’s necessary to open their own investigation into Yorkshire’s inquiry. To speed up this process, their regulatory department has hired additional lawyers.