By Ashley Young-
A former Yorkshire cricket player has been campaigning for the disclosure of a report about a complaint he made highlighting serious levels of racism he faced as a player which he says put him on the brink of suicide.
Azeem Rafiq says a complaint he put in a year ago about a serious level of institutional racism he faced as a player is taking too long to be released, and fears there is a cover up to withhold its findings.
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Rafiq, 30, has been raising pressure on the authorities on social media in the past few days, and brought his frustrations to the attention of a few media outlets. He has used such hashtags as #ReleaseTheReport and #EnoughIsEnough. Yorkshire, for their part, have kept their counsel throughout.
England and Wales Cricket Board chair, Ian Watmore, has praised the courage of Yorkshire, who have been asked for a copy of the investigation.
Watmore confirmed on Wednesday evening that an independent inquiry, commissioned by Yorkshire after Rafiq claimed he was left feeling suicidal by his experiences of institutional racism at his former club, had sent its conclusions to the club.
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Rafiq, who played professionally for Yorkshire in two spells between 2008 and 2018, has heavily criticized the delay to the publication of the report, and called for the ECB and politicians to intervene.
Investigators claim they first need to establish what can legally be disclosed before publicly presenting the findings of their investigation. A club statement is expected imminently, as the pressure for transparency mounts.
Suicide
Rafiq claimed that the racism he experienced at the club for which he played between 2008 and 2018 drove him to the brink of suicide and affected his mental health. Yesterday accused Yorkshire of “trying to bury” the report and called on the England and Wales Cricket Board and politicians to intervene.
Ian Watmore, the ECB chairman, tonight issued this statement on behalf of the governing body: “We respect the independent process behind the review, and the club’s legal responsibilities to all parties.
“We respect the independent process behind the review, and the club’s legal responsibilities to all parties,” said Watmore in a statement. “We also understand the frustration at the length of time this investigation has taken.
It has taken considerable courage for Azeem Rafiq to speak out, and it is right that his experiences should have been thoroughly investigated.
“Now that the club has a full copy of the report, we have today written to Yorkshire to formally request a copy, together with a timeline for publication.
“It has taken considerable courage for Azeem Rafiq to speak out, and it is right that his experiences should have been thoroughly investigated. We now look forward to receiving a copy of the report promptly to enable us to fulfil our role as the ultimate regulator of the game.”
Rafiq initially spoke out last August, claiming that non-white players being called “p***s” and “elephant washers” as well as being told to “go back to where you came from”.
Probe
An independent law firm was commissioned by Yorkshire to probe Rafiq’s claims, although the former England Under-19 captain says the delay in disclosing the findings is taking too long, after a year since the investigation began.
He said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday: “It’s a sham. We’ve waited a year for this report. Surely now is the time for the ECB to become involved?
“The ECB’s own anti-discrimination code states that any alleged breach must be investigated and dealt with in a ‘timely’ fashion. Well, it’s been more than a year and no-one has been held accountable and nothing has changed.
Employment Tribunal Case
In a separate process in June, Yorkshire and Rafiq failed to resolve their dispute in an employment tribunal case.
Rafiq filed a legal claim under the Equality Act in December, alleging direct discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race, as well as victimisation and detriment as a result of his efforts to address racism at the club.
He has called for the ECB and politicians to intervene.
Rafiq initially spoke out last August, referencing alleged specific instances of non-white players being called “p***s” and “elephant washers” as well as being told to “go back to where you came from”.
Yorkshire commissioned an independent law firm to probe Rafiq’s claims, although the former England Under-19 captain has grown exasperated by the delays to the process, given it is a year since he first made his allegations.
Suspicions have been raised by some in the club, that investigators are reluctant to publish the findings , in order to protect the image of the club which could be heavily tarnished.
Others believe the report could be whitewashed , and there could be a fear that any cover up could be met with uproar by Rafiq and those who may have witnessed the racism in question.
Today, journalists in Yorkshire added pressure for the findings of the investigations to be speedily made public.
Insiders from the Yorkshire Evening Post told The Eye Of Media.Com: ”it is appalling that in this day an age, the kind of racism Rafiq complains about still goes on in sports. It is absolutely disgusting when this happens in football, and very disappointing to hear it happens in cricket too, to the extent the player complained about.
I think we can be sure that the report will be released very soon, delaying it beyond a year simply cannot be justified”.
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