It’s more than a year since cricketer Azeem Rafiq claimed Yorkshire County Cricket Club was institutional racist. But the club – and the sport – was this week suddenly under greater scrutiny than it has been throughout the process.
It followed a report on Monday suggesting a senior player admitted repeatedly using the word “P***” in reference to Rafiq, but that the phrase was deemed to be “in the spirit of friendly banter”.
On Wednesday, Gary Ballance, a former England batter, admitted he was responsible for some of the offensive terms Rafiq was subjected to at Headingley.
Rafiq, 30, is a former White Rose player over two spells between 2008 and 2018. An independent inquiry was commissioned by Yorkshire in August 2020 after Rafiq alleged institutional racism at the club left him feeling suicidal. He made a total of 43 allegations against Yorkshire.
What did the report say?
In September, the inquiry’s panel returned its findings together with a set of recommendations. The report upheld that Rafiq had been a victim of “racial harassment and bullying” – but was unable either to prove or disprove institutionalised racism, due to insufficient evidence.
The club’s findings upheld seven of Rafiq’s allegations. Yorkshire say the panel upheld a claim that Rafiq, who represented the club from 2008 to 2014 then 2016 to 2018, was not provided with halal food when playing junior cricket, something the county say has now been rectified.
There were three instances of racist language being used by ex-players prior to 2010 which amounted to harassment on the grounds of race, while before 2012 a former coach “regularly used racist language”.
During his second spell, jokes around religion were made which left individuals feeling uncomfortable, the panel found, and also in that time frame, a reference was made to Rafiq’s weight and fitness which amounted to bullying.
The report also accepted that there was a failure by the club in August 2018 to follow up on allegations Rafiq made at that time.
The final allegation to be upheld was that on a number of occasions prior to 2018 the club could have done more to make Muslims feel more welcome within their stadiums and should have dealt better with complaints of racism and anti-social behaviour within those stadiums.
Yorkshire only released a summary of the report, saying legal reasons prevented them from publishing the full report thought to be in excess of 100 pages.
Despite issuing what was termed a “full apology”, no employees of the club faced any further action. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board is investigating the document.
““P**” is not banter. Heads should roll at Yorkshire CCC. If the England and Wales Cricket Board doesn’t take action it’s not fit for purpose.””
- Cabinet minister Sajid Javid
What did Rafiq say at the same?
In an immediate response to Yorkshire’s statement at the time, Rafiq wrote on Twitter: “Wow just when you think this club couldn’t get more embarrassing you find a way.
“Still awaiting the FULL report. Thanks for mentioning the people that have provided your PROTECTION & given green light to RACISM.”
Rafiq ended his tweet with the phrase “Interesting timing again”, a likely reference to the fact that Yorkshire released the summarised version of their report on the same day the fifth Test between England and India was called off.
He called for Yorkshire’s board to resign following the “inconceivable” decision to take no disciplinary action against any of their employees.
Yorkshire insisted the lack of disciplinary action did not diminish “the importance of the findings” or that there was much the club can learn from the report.
What happened this week?
On Monday, ESPNcricinfo published what it claimed to be details of the report, including a senior player’s admission that he had repeatedly used the word “P***” in reference to Rafiq, which on at least one occasion reduced the player to tears.
But Yorkshire concluded that the incidents in question amounted to “friendly banter”, and went on to say that it was “not reasonable for Azeem to have been offended”.
They said, according to ESPNcricinfo, that Rafiq might be “expected to take such comments in the spirit in which they were intended (i.e. good-natured banter between friends)… (so) it was not reasonable for Azeem to have been offended by (the other player) directing equally offensive or derogatory comments back at him in the same spirit of friendly banter.”
Two days day later, Ballance, who is still on Yorkshire’s books, confessed in a statement he had used a “racial slur” and expressed his remorse for doing so. He attempted to add some context to his language, adding both men “said things privately to each other which were not acceptable”. Rafiq responded on Twitter: “Funny how things change from complete denial to I accepted everything over a 14-month period ??”
What next?
The revelations attracted the attention of politicians in Westminster.
On Tuesday, it was announced Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton is to be called by the parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee to answer for the club’s handling of Rafiq’s claims.
DCMS chair Julian Knight said in a statement: “This is extremely concerning and it’s clear that Yorkshire County Cricket Club has questions to answer.
“We have monitored developments around the club’s handling of the serious allegations made by Azeem Rafiq.
“We want to see much greater transparency from YCCC – it is time for them to answer their critics. We intend to call the chair of the club before the DCMS committee to give a much fuller explanation than we have had so far.”
Meanwhile, health secretary Sajid Javid said “heads should roll” at Yorkshire.
Javid said on Twitter on Tuesday: “P**” is not banter. Heads should roll at Yorkshire CCC. If @ECB_cricket doesn’t take action it’s not fit for purpose.”
Downing Street urged the ECB to look at the situation in Yorkshire “with the utmost scrutiny” and “take action where needed”.
A No 10 spokesman said Boris Johnson was “absolutely clear that racist language like that should never be used in any context whatsoever”.
The fallout continued
On Thursday, Yorkshire was suspended from hosting international and major matches as the ECB criticised the club’s “wholly unacceptable” handling of Rafiq’s racism claims.
The ECB board convened to discuss what has fast become an escalating crisis and admitted the “abhorrent” matter is “causing serious damage” to the reputation of the game.
An ECB statement read: “As a governing body with duties to act for all in cricket, the ECB board reaffirmed its commitment to taking decisions in the best interests of the whole game.
“It also agreed that sanctions including, but not limited to, financial and future major match allocations may be considered at the conclusion of our investigations.
“In the meantime, YCCC are suspended from hosting international or major matches until it has clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected of an international venue, ECB member and first-class county.”
It came on the same day more sponsors deserted the beleaguered club. Companies including primary sponsor Emerald Publishing and Yorkshire Tea have ended their associations with the club.
What has the reaction been?
Former England captain Mark Butcher has accused the club of being “in denial”.
Responding to the details reported by ESPNcricinfo, he told the Times: “It beggars belief. It’s not only completely tone deaf but totally in denial.”
The MP for Leeds North West – the constituency which covers Headingley – made clear on Tuesday that he would not allow the issue to rest.
Labour’s Alex Sobel tweeted: “I am very concerned to read today’s report. It’s not acceptable for any organisation to say clearly racist language is just banter.”
Nick Lowles, chief executive of the anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate, said: “Referring to someone by a racial slur is not, under any circumstances, ‘good-natured banter’.
“In 2021, we have a right to expect racism and intolerance to be taken seriously. We cannot sit idly by while institutions try to brush these problems under the carpet – we all have a part to play in refusing to accept racial intolerance and taking a stand against organisations who fail to tackle racism.”
Has Rafiq responded?
Rafiq says despite the week’s events, criticism is still coming his way.
He tweeted on Thursday: “We wonder why people don’t come forward. Even after everything that is out there, there seems to be personal attacks coming.
“What a sad state of affairs.”
Rafiq will appear before MPs on the DCMS committee later this month and wrote in an earlier tweet on Thursday: “I wanted to stress this is not really about the words of certain individuals.
“This is about institutional racism and abject failures to act by numerous leaders at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and in the wider game. The sport I love and my club desperately need reform and cultural change.”