Azeem Rafiq: Yorkshire board expected to resign after reporting racism allegations, says DCMS chairman

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Former England youth captain Azeem Rafiq was Yorkshire captain in a Twenty20 match in 2012

MP Julian Knight has called on the Yorkshire County Cricket Club board to resign after the release of a leaked report apparently containing details of the investigation into Azeem Rafiq’s treatment.

An ESPN article said the report concluded that an offensive racist term used against Rafiq was considered a “joke.”

Investigation found Rafiq to be the “victim of racial harassment and intimidation” – however, Yorkshire said no disciplinary action would be taken.

Knight, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee (DCMS), called it “one of the most repulsive and disturbing episodes in modern cricket history.”

In a tweet, he added: “Given the racism rampant at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, I find it hard to think of a reason why the board should remain in office.”

YCCC has been contacted for comment.

Knight’s comments came after UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid called for “heads up” in Yorkshire and said that while the England and Wales Cricket Council (ECB) does was not acting “it is not suitable for the purpose”. He further said in a Twitter post that the term allegedly used to describe Rafiq was “no joke”.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries called Rafiq’s treatment “disgusting” and said “the investigation that followed only made matters worse”.

In a tweet, she added that any ECB investigation must be “swift and fully transparent. Racism must be fought and NEVER seen as just a ‘joke’.”

The ECB has opened its own investigation and a spokesperson said: “Last week we received the report from the Yorkshire CCC on the allegations of racism and bullying made by Azeem Rafiq against the club.

We are aware of how long Azeem has waited for a resolution and the price it has to pay for his well-being and that of his family. We are sorry that as a sport this has not yet been resolved.

“We will conduct a comprehensive regulatory process that is fair to all parties, but we will also ensure that this happens as quickly as possible. To achieve this, we have secured the services of a QC, as well as other external investigative services to strengthen the resources around our process. The ECB’s board also reaffirmed its commitment to provide more additional resources, should the investigation require it.

” We are aware that the [DCMS] The select committee called Yorkshire President Roger Hutton to testify. In the meantime, we will continue our investigation. ”

The DCMS committee said it wanted to ask Hutton about the handling of the club’s investigation and wanted “a much more comprehensive explanation than we’ve had so far.”

Last year Rafiq claimed “institutional racism” at the club had left him on the verge of taking his own life.

Seven of the 43 allegations were confirmed in an independent panel report.

Hutton apologized to Rafiq, who left Headingley in 2018, saying there was “no doubt” that during his first stint at the club he had been “racially harassed”.

However, the club recently said it would not take any disciplinary action against any player, employee or executive for the harassment.

“We are extremely concerned about recent reports of lack of action against individuals following the findings,” Knight said earlier Tuesday.

“This is extremely concerning and it is clear that Yorkshire County Cricket Club has questions to answer.

“We have followed the evolution of the management by the club of the serious allegations made by Azeem Rafiq.

“We want to see more transparency from YCCC – it’s time for them to respond to their criticisms.

“We intend to call the club president before the DCMS committee to give a much more complete explanation than we have had so far.”

A statement from the DCMS committee added: “MPs need to think about what actions to take.

“Senior club management will also be invited to attend the session.”

Rafiq received a heavily redacted version of the report’s findings on his allegations after Yorkshire missed the Friday October 8 deadline that a labor judge ordered him to release in full.

ESPN on Monday claimed to have seen redacted material from the report, including that a racist term about Rafiq’s Pakistani heritage was regularly used towards him by a current player, but the Yorkshire report concluded that it was of “friendly and good-humored jokes”.

The club had previously said it had provided a copy of the report to the ECB and was “working with them on their investigation into the issues raised.”

A No 10 spokesperson said Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “absolutely clear that racist language like this should never be used in any context.”

The spokesperson said: “These are very serious allegations which have clearly had a significant impact on Azeem Rafiq and it is important that they are investigated fully and promptly.

“It is important that the ECB investigates thoroughly and quickly and has confirmed that it is doing so.

“We urge them to look at this with the utmost scrutiny and take action if necessary.”

The Emerald Publishing Group – the county’s main sponsor that owns the naming rights to Headingley Stadium – said it was “appalled” by the outcome of the Rafiq investigation and expects further action to be taken.

“While the club have apologized wholeheartedly for this and made a number of positive changes over the intervening years, there is clearly a long way to go,” Emerald said in a statement.

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