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In an interview with Saj for Isport, the former Yorkshire all-rounder Azeem Rafiq expresses his dissatisfaction with the investigation into institutional racism and explains why he feels that English cricket needs to get its house in order to tackle the problem of racism.
Former Yorkshire all-rounder Azeem Rafiq has expressed his lack of faith in the impartiality of the investigation into institutional racism at the club.
Rafiq alleged last September that racist abuse from staff and supporters while he was at Yorkshire had left him close to taking his own life. He said racist language was used against South Asian players and spoke of being “ridiculed” for not drinking alcohol.
Yorkshire launched a formal investigation and said a sub-committee had been set up to explore Rafiq’s claims, headed up by Dr Samir Pathak, an MCC member, and overseen by law firm Squire Patton Boggs.
The former player gave evidence to the sub-committee last November – but he has become frustrated at the lack of progress, as well as questioning the impartiality of the inquiry, because Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton once worked for a law firm that has since been taken over by Squire Patton Boggs.
Rafiq, who also said anti-racism initiatives by the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers’ Association are a “waste of time”, said: “The level of independence within the inquiry has been a concern for me right from the outset. It’s labelled as an independent inquiry, but in my opinion it’s not really independent is it?
“Effectively it’s Yorkshire appointing someone to investigate themselves. Then for the Chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club to have a link with the firm who has been given the responsibility of the inquiry is simply puzzling. I’m sure there were opportunities for the inquiry to be truly independent, but those opportunities have now been missed.
“The narrative regarding the delays for the publication of the inquiry is that Yorkshire want it to be thorough. But I spoke to the inquiry in November and gave them people’s testimonies, names, contact details and then they came back to me two months later asking for further information that they could have asked for earlier.
“Frankly, I don’t know what they’ve been doing for the last five months. In addition they’ve not kept me updated of any progress or developments, apart from something that I received a few days ago which was supposed to be an update but clarified absolutely nothing.”
In essence, what matters to Rafiq is not the process and the formalities around such inquiries but the outcomes and the fact that the right people are held accountable for the wrongs that he feels were committed.
“I have become of the opinion that there has to be accountability if trust is to be rebuilt within English cricket and that accountability has to be at the top, from the people in charge.”
Rafiq also has grave reservations about anti-racism education programmes developed by the ECB and the PCA and feels that such measures don’t even begin to address the scourge of racism that he feels is embedded in English cricket.
“There has to be a proper plan to tackle the issues I have raised,” he added. “These unconscious bias training sessions that we keep seeing are a waste of time and have been going on for decades, yet they make no difference and have no positive affect at all.
“English cricket needs to show that it is a sport for everyone and that they actually care and that it’s not just about putting various hashtags out there which are just for show. English cricket needs to get past the hashtags and instead stand shoulder to shoulder and make cricket a game for all where everyone is welcomed.”
In a recent study it was revealed that 30 per cent of recreational players in England and Wales are British Asian, but only 5 per cent have made it to the professional level.
“Cricket in England definitely has a problem with racism,” Rafiq added. “I have only been shedding light on my experiences, but if you go up and down the country and ask people, it’s there, you will see it and you will hear about it. This is why Asian representation in England in the professional game in the last 10 years has seen a massive drop. This statistic is a telling one. Is anyone looking at the reasons for this drop, is anyone asking why this drop in numbers has occurred? This needs to be investigated.”
Yorkshire County Cricket Club said in a statement to i: “We have always taken the claims made by our former player Azeem Rafiq, extremely seriously. In September last year we began an investigation supported by an independent panel to look into both Azeem’s experiences and also to conduct a wider review into the club’s policies and culture.
“The panel had oversight of the appointment of Squire Patton Boggs and were in full agreement that the firm had the requisite expertise and experience to lead this important investigation.
“Roger Hutton, Chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club worked at local law firm Hammonds as a junior solicitor. He left in 1996 and the firm was subsequently acquired by other organisations now known as the globally recognised firm, Squire Patton Boggs. Mr Hutton had never spoken to any of those lawyers involved in any part of the investigation prior to this engagement and they were not employed by Hammonds.”
https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/azeem-rafiq-yorkshire-racism-inquiry-impartiality-progress-996317
Former Yorkshire all-rounder Azeem Rafiq has expressed his lack of faith in the impartiality of the investigation into institutional racism at the club.
Rafiq alleged last September that racist abuse from staff and supporters while he was at Yorkshire had left him close to taking his own life. He said racist language was used against South Asian players and spoke of being “ridiculed” for not drinking alcohol.
Yorkshire launched a formal investigation and said a sub-committee had been set up to explore Rafiq’s claims, headed up by Dr Samir Pathak, an MCC member, and overseen by law firm Squire Patton Boggs.
The former player gave evidence to the sub-committee last November – but he has become frustrated at the lack of progress, as well as questioning the impartiality of the inquiry, because Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton once worked for a law firm that has since been taken over by Squire Patton Boggs.
Rafiq, who also said anti-racism initiatives by the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers’ Association are a “waste of time”, said: “The level of independence within the inquiry has been a concern for me right from the outset. It’s labelled as an independent inquiry, but in my opinion it’s not really independent is it?
“Effectively it’s Yorkshire appointing someone to investigate themselves. Then for the Chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club to have a link with the firm who has been given the responsibility of the inquiry is simply puzzling. I’m sure there were opportunities for the inquiry to be truly independent, but those opportunities have now been missed.
“The narrative regarding the delays for the publication of the inquiry is that Yorkshire want it to be thorough. But I spoke to the inquiry in November and gave them people’s testimonies, names, contact details and then they came back to me two months later asking for further information that they could have asked for earlier.
“Frankly, I don’t know what they’ve been doing for the last five months. In addition they’ve not kept me updated of any progress or developments, apart from something that I received a few days ago which was supposed to be an update but clarified absolutely nothing.”
In essence, what matters to Rafiq is not the process and the formalities around such inquiries but the outcomes and the fact that the right people are held accountable for the wrongs that he feels were committed.
“I have become of the opinion that there has to be accountability if trust is to be rebuilt within English cricket and that accountability has to be at the top, from the people in charge.”
Rafiq also has grave reservations about anti-racism education programmes developed by the ECB and the PCA and feels that such measures don’t even begin to address the scourge of racism that he feels is embedded in English cricket.
“There has to be a proper plan to tackle the issues I have raised,” he added. “These unconscious bias training sessions that we keep seeing are a waste of time and have been going on for decades, yet they make no difference and have no positive affect at all.
“English cricket needs to show that it is a sport for everyone and that they actually care and that it’s not just about putting various hashtags out there which are just for show. English cricket needs to get past the hashtags and instead stand shoulder to shoulder and make cricket a game for all where everyone is welcomed.”
In a recent study it was revealed that 30 per cent of recreational players in England and Wales are British Asian, but only 5 per cent have made it to the professional level.
“Cricket in England definitely has a problem with racism,” Rafiq added. “I have only been shedding light on my experiences, but if you go up and down the country and ask people, it’s there, you will see it and you will hear about it. This is why Asian representation in England in the professional game in the last 10 years has seen a massive drop. This statistic is a telling one. Is anyone looking at the reasons for this drop, is anyone asking why this drop in numbers has occurred? This needs to be investigated.”
Yorkshire County Cricket Club said in a statement to i: “We have always taken the claims made by our former player Azeem Rafiq, extremely seriously. In September last year we began an investigation supported by an independent panel to look into both Azeem’s experiences and also to conduct a wider review into the club’s policies and culture.
“The panel had oversight of the appointment of Squire Patton Boggs and were in full agreement that the firm had the requisite expertise and experience to lead this important investigation.
“Roger Hutton, Chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club worked at local law firm Hammonds as a junior solicitor. He left in 1996 and the firm was subsequently acquired by other organisations now known as the globally recognised firm, Squire Patton Boggs. Mr Hutton had never spoken to any of those lawyers involved in any part of the investigation prior to this engagement and they were not employed by Hammonds.”
https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/azeem-rafiq-yorkshire-racism-inquiry-impartiality-progress-996317
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