The Yorkshire County Cricket Club is expected to publish a report on allegations of racism at the club by Wednesday. Several England internationals are concerned that they might be involved.
The Telegraph reports today that the Telegraph has reported that other ex-England nationals have hired legal teams to prepare for the findings.
This comes days after ex-players from England and Yorkshire, Gary Ballance and Michael Vaughan were listed this week among the people accused by Azeem Rafiq of racial discrimination.
Rafiq (aged 30) was a victim of more than 40 accusations of bullying and racial discrimination by his employer 15 months prior to being released. The club has already confirmed seven of them.
Lord Patel of Bradford, cricket club’s interim chairman is scheduled to make his first public appearance on Monday. The pressure mounting from the game for release full Yorkshire CCC report on racial abuse has led to Lord Patel of Bradford being asked to address media.
Gary Ballance has already admitted directing racial epithets towards Rafiq and expressed ‘deep regret’ at calling him a ‘P***’, which was characterised as ‘banter’ in the club’s report.
Vaughan, who has repeatedly denied using racist slurs against his colleague, has been removed from BBC Radio 5’s weekly live broadcast. The saga will continue.
Azeem Rahiq (30) came to light 15 months ago with 40 accusations of bullying and racial discrimination by his employer. Only seven have been proven.
Gary Ballance (L), an ex-player for England and Yorkshire, and Michael Vaughan were both named as the victims of Azeem Rasiq’s racial discrimination.
In the aftermath of these allegations, several advertisers cancelled their agreements with Yorkshire CCC. The club has already lost around £3million in sponsorship details, while the English Cricket Board suspended club ground Headingley (pictured) from hosting major matches
The allegations made by Rafiq have already proven disastrous for Yorkshire CCC, whose internal review concluded 10 days ago that ‘there is no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players or executives that warrants disciplinary action’.
Several officials from the Government, including Sajid Javid the British-Pakistani Minister of Health, suggested heads must be rolled at this club. Javid said that the England Cricket Board (ECB), may not meet its objectives if they don’t take swift action.
Meanwhile, several advertisers have ripped up their contracts with Yorkshire CCC, with around £3million in sponsorship lost and a threat of an estimated £3.5million from international ticket and hospitality sales to follow after the ECB temporarily suspended club ground Headingley from hosting major matches.
Those combined figures represent more than 50 per cent of Yorkshire’s projected income for the year.
More of the club’s dirty washing will be laundered in public on November 16 when Yorkshire officials have been called to attend the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee hearing.
They’ll be answering a slew of questions by MPs during the hearing, which will include many who have little to no knowledge of the case.
Outside Headingley, where Yorkshire cricket is based on November 5, 2021, a banner against racism hangs at the railings
Yesterday, protestors gathered outside Headingley to voice their disapproval at Yorkshire CCC. This included Mohammed Rafiq (Azeem’s father), who proclaimed that ‘racism was not banter’.
Yesterday, protestors assembled outside the Yorkshire Cricket Club’s stadium to voice their disgust at the club’s inability to hold the cricket club accountable for the abuse Rafiq suffered and the other Asian players they played.
Mohammed Rafiq, 63, joined the protestors in support of his son despite clear ill-health, touting a sign which read ‘racism is not banter’.
The 43-year-old Dr Abdul Sheikh gave an impassioned speech about the necessity of highlighting the racism faced by Asian peoples in the UK, before falling into the crowd.
‘Azeem Rafiq in my view is a hero. An exemplary warrior, who bravely fought through severe difficulties. He’s received threats from the far right, criticism from the community for making a stand but I’m immensely proud of him,’ said Sheikh.
‘If I’m not here, then what’s the point? It’d all be in vain for what Azeem has fought for, so it’s to show solidarity and support to him and his family.
‘I fought racism all my life: the P-word, etc. To show that racism isn’t casual banter, I needed to stand in front of them. It has major effects on people’s life in the world of work. It can already be hard for ethnic minorities in this country, never mind if they face xenophobia and racism.’
Former Yorkshire Cricket Foundation employee Taj Butt, 63, also declared his support for Rafiq: ‘It just shows how strong the feeling in the community is that we are prepared to turn out and voice our anger at the club.
‘It’s been 15 months since Azeem made the complaint and the club have been looking to sweep it under the carpet.
‘You usually go to Headingley to watch county or international cricket, which brings a lot of pleasure to a lot of people. But coming here having to demonstrate an injustice doesn’t seem right.’