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- Oct 2, 2004
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In an interview with Saj for iSport, Azeem Rafiq expresses concerns for the safety of his family and says that he felt ‘triggered’ watching the recent appearances of county chairmen before a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee
Azeem Rafiq is worried that the action taken by Yorkshire in the wake of his revelations of racism at the cricket club is not being replicated at other counties despite growing evidence that the malaise runs far deeper than he initially thought.
When his allegations were finally taken seriously last November, they led to a rapid series of events including the exit of Yorkshire’s leading sponsors, the resignations of the county’s chairman and chief executive, the sacking of the coaching staff and Rafiq’s own bombshell appearance in front of MPs of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee.
Then stories of discrimination emerged across the country, and more county chiefs have been hauled in front of the MPs.
While hoping that a corner has been turned by his former employers at Headingley – most notably with the appointment of Lord Patel as chairman – Rafiq is worried that the lessons are not being learnt everywhere.
“Despite many years of institutional failures, I do see some positive things happening at Yorkshire despite some of the former administrators trying to block those changes,” he tells i.
“I do feel that in Lord Patel we have some hope for the future and I hope that the club can become the blueprint for other county sides.”
The ex-Yorkshire captain added: “I don’t think other counties are learning from Yorkshire, as we saw at the DCMS hearing into racism and the comments of some of the county chairmen.
“I actually felt very triggered after that because the language that was being used by those chairmen was the same type of language that was used by Yorkshire to tell everyone how great they were.
“There has to be a diagnosis of the problem to see how widespread it is. I feel that several counties are trying very hard to say this is a Yorkshire-only problem, when it’s clearly not.
“There are a lot of denials, there’s a lot of burying of heads in the sand, but the reality is that there is a long way to go in the English game before racism is eradicated.”
While Middlesex chairman Mike O’Farrell’s suggestion that football and rugby are “much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community” and cricket was sometimes “secondary” to education for young South Asian players received a lot of coverage, Rafiq feels the disclosure of attitudes of others at the hearing also deserve attention.
“I found the comments by Mike O’Farrell very upsetting. They were lazy stereotypes. But what is very worrying is that they were just some of the comments that were picked up, however there were many more comments by the Hampshire and Glamorgan chairmen [Rod Bransgrove and Gareth Williams] that were very concerning.
“They showed just how big the issues are in English cricket and how out of touch the leadership in English cricket is with the game.”
Nor are the problems restricted to the professional arena – the idyllic image of the amateur game is also tainted.
“It’s rife in club cricket. Only a few days ago I received a message from an Asian team about them not being able to gain promotion due to the fact that there were too many Asians in the team. That wasn’t the official reason given to this club, but that was the underlying issue.”
The England & Wales Cricket Board is tasked with safeguarding the game at all levels and Rafiq believes the governing body has allowed matters to deteriorate.
“We are where we are due to the ECB’s reluctance to step in, deal with the issue proactively and show strong leadership at the right time.
“I feel that the jury is out on the ECB. They have a lot to answer for, they let this ride out and damage the game of cricket in England on a wide scale. Going forward there has to be an independent regulator rather than the ECB, they can’t be both the regulator and the promoter of the game.”
Rafiq is displeased at some Asian cricketers for their lack of action but can understand their hesitancy to come forward, especially where it affects personal safety and their livelihood; something he has realised since bringing the issues into the public domain.
“I’ve been hurt, saddened, disappointed and let down by a lot of Asian cricketers who haven’t spoken up about the issues of racism in English cricket. But I can see why they didn’t, as there is a fear of the institution.
“Nobody is perfect. The way I was attacked and what my life has become on a daily basis where I fear for my own and my family’s safety, I can see why people would prefer to look the other way and not speak up. I was left alone by my own community and that was a very unfortunate part of this process that I have experienced.”
So much has been revealed, however, it is time for prompt action. “The journey has been tough. I wish I hadn’t had to go through it because it’s come at a massive personal cost. There have been some horrible moments and, unfortunately, they are going to continue. I was taking on a system and that system isn’t just English cricket or the ECB or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The one thing that could make me proud is if we can get this next phase right.
“It’s always been about changing things for the better. It’s a delicate situation, it needs to be handled with care, love and compassion, but also with urgency as well.
“We’ve waited far too long for this. I don’t want to have to wait for my grandchildren to see change, I want to see change happening now and for future generations. A lot of people have missed out on a lot of opportunities just because of their race and it’s not acceptable, things need to change – and change now.”
https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/a...sm-they-havent-learned-from-yorkshire-1457274
Azeem Rafiq is worried that the action taken by Yorkshire in the wake of his revelations of racism at the cricket club is not being replicated at other counties despite growing evidence that the malaise runs far deeper than he initially thought.
When his allegations were finally taken seriously last November, they led to a rapid series of events including the exit of Yorkshire’s leading sponsors, the resignations of the county’s chairman and chief executive, the sacking of the coaching staff and Rafiq’s own bombshell appearance in front of MPs of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee.
Then stories of discrimination emerged across the country, and more county chiefs have been hauled in front of the MPs.
While hoping that a corner has been turned by his former employers at Headingley – most notably with the appointment of Lord Patel as chairman – Rafiq is worried that the lessons are not being learnt everywhere.
“Despite many years of institutional failures, I do see some positive things happening at Yorkshire despite some of the former administrators trying to block those changes,” he tells i.
“I do feel that in Lord Patel we have some hope for the future and I hope that the club can become the blueprint for other county sides.”
The ex-Yorkshire captain added: “I don’t think other counties are learning from Yorkshire, as we saw at the DCMS hearing into racism and the comments of some of the county chairmen.
“I actually felt very triggered after that because the language that was being used by those chairmen was the same type of language that was used by Yorkshire to tell everyone how great they were.
“There has to be a diagnosis of the problem to see how widespread it is. I feel that several counties are trying very hard to say this is a Yorkshire-only problem, when it’s clearly not.
“There are a lot of denials, there’s a lot of burying of heads in the sand, but the reality is that there is a long way to go in the English game before racism is eradicated.”
While Middlesex chairman Mike O’Farrell’s suggestion that football and rugby are “much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community” and cricket was sometimes “secondary” to education for young South Asian players received a lot of coverage, Rafiq feels the disclosure of attitudes of others at the hearing also deserve attention.
“I found the comments by Mike O’Farrell very upsetting. They were lazy stereotypes. But what is very worrying is that they were just some of the comments that were picked up, however there were many more comments by the Hampshire and Glamorgan chairmen [Rod Bransgrove and Gareth Williams] that were very concerning.
“They showed just how big the issues are in English cricket and how out of touch the leadership in English cricket is with the game.”
Nor are the problems restricted to the professional arena – the idyllic image of the amateur game is also tainted.
“It’s rife in club cricket. Only a few days ago I received a message from an Asian team about them not being able to gain promotion due to the fact that there were too many Asians in the team. That wasn’t the official reason given to this club, but that was the underlying issue.”
The England & Wales Cricket Board is tasked with safeguarding the game at all levels and Rafiq believes the governing body has allowed matters to deteriorate.
“We are where we are due to the ECB’s reluctance to step in, deal with the issue proactively and show strong leadership at the right time.
“I feel that the jury is out on the ECB. They have a lot to answer for, they let this ride out and damage the game of cricket in England on a wide scale. Going forward there has to be an independent regulator rather than the ECB, they can’t be both the regulator and the promoter of the game.”
Rafiq is displeased at some Asian cricketers for their lack of action but can understand their hesitancy to come forward, especially where it affects personal safety and their livelihood; something he has realised since bringing the issues into the public domain.
“I’ve been hurt, saddened, disappointed and let down by a lot of Asian cricketers who haven’t spoken up about the issues of racism in English cricket. But I can see why they didn’t, as there is a fear of the institution.
“Nobody is perfect. The way I was attacked and what my life has become on a daily basis where I fear for my own and my family’s safety, I can see why people would prefer to look the other way and not speak up. I was left alone by my own community and that was a very unfortunate part of this process that I have experienced.”
So much has been revealed, however, it is time for prompt action. “The journey has been tough. I wish I hadn’t had to go through it because it’s come at a massive personal cost. There have been some horrible moments and, unfortunately, they are going to continue. I was taking on a system and that system isn’t just English cricket or the ECB or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The one thing that could make me proud is if we can get this next phase right.
“It’s always been about changing things for the better. It’s a delicate situation, it needs to be handled with care, love and compassion, but also with urgency as well.
“We’ve waited far too long for this. I don’t want to have to wait for my grandchildren to see change, I want to see change happening now and for future generations. A lot of people have missed out on a lot of opportunities just because of their race and it’s not acceptable, things need to change – and change now.”
https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/a...sm-they-havent-learned-from-yorkshire-1457274
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