Yorkshire Cricket Club chairman Roger Hutton has resigned after the controversy involving racism against its player Azeem Rafiq. This comes after the club was stripped of hosting international matches by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The ECB took the decision after it found Club＊s response against the racism accusations ineffective.?
The controversy started after Azeem Rafiq who captained Yorkshire in a T20 fixture in 2012, accused Yorkshire Club of institutional racism. He claimed that many of his teammates used racially offensive terms associated with his Pakistani origin. He even claimed that these experiences left him close to taking his own life.
Yorkshire launched a formal investigation into the matter in September 2020. A private law firm was appointed to carry the independent investigation into the matter. The findings of the investigation were sent to Yorkshire in August 2021. However, the club did not release the findings of the investigation. However, they admitted that Azeem was the victim of inappropriate behaviour and offered him their profound apologies. In their initial response, the club did not mention any involvement in racism. Yet to release the findings of the investigation, the club was asked by the ECB to send them a copy of the investigation.?
Following immense pressure, Yorkshire on 10 September, released their own summary of the findings of the investigation. This time they accepted that Azeem was the victim of racial harassment and bullying. The summary also upheld seven allegations out of 43 alleged by Azeem. While still not releasing the full report, the club rejected the allegation of institutional racism based on insufficient evidence. Further, no punishment was handed over to those guilty of racism. The club even categorically expressed on October 28 that no one would face disciplinary action following the report. They further said that no action was done by any of its employees, player or executive that warranted disciplinary action.
The controversy garnered much attention after an article in ESPN Cricinfo, claiming Rafiq＊s origin was regularly used towards him, but the investigation revealed it was ＆friendly and good-natured banter.?
Juliana Knight, a Member of Parliament and chair of digital, culture and sports select committee called for the club board to resign while calling it ※one of the most repellent and disturbing episodes in modern cricket§.?
This was followed by many sponsors like Nike, Yorkshire tea, David Lloyd, ending their partnership with the club.
A big development came on Wednesday in the form of a former player＊s statement. Azeem＊s teammate and former English player Gary Ballance admitted that he had used some of the racist language that Azeem had alleged.
The next day, following its board meeting, ECB suspended Yorkshire from hosting international matches until ※it clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected§. ECB also said that Yorkshire＊s handling of the issue was unacceptable and is causing serious damage to the reputation of the game. The board also debarred Gary Ballance from any future selection in the national team until further investigation.?
Another big name that got involved in the controversy was former England captain Micheal Vaughan, however, he denied any allegations of racism. Former Pakistani player Rana Naveed also said that he witnessed alleged racist comments by Vaughan.?
The whole controversy culminated in the Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton resigning on Friday. Few other members of the board also resigned. While resigning, Hutton unreservedly apologized to Azeem Rafiq. He also admitted that the club should have recognized the serious allegations of racism, but also criticised the ECB. According to Hutton, the club reached the ECB after Azeem＊s allegation for help in the enquiry but the ECB declined to help. The ECB reacted by saying that their role is that of a regulator.
A lot has happened since Azeem Rafiq came out with accusations of racism in Yorkshire. But one still has to wait for some serious actions to be taken in this regard. Will the players, coaches, staff involved be punished?