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Azeem Rafiq accuses Yorkshire of 'fudging' racism report findings - and calls for heads to roll

Azeem Rafiq accuses Yorkshire of 'fudging' racism report findings - and calls for heads to roll - GETTY IMAGES
Azeem Rafiq accuses Yorkshire of 'fudging' racism report findings - and calls for heads to roll - GETTY IMAGES

The cricketer at the centre of racism claims at Yorkshire called for heads to roll on Thursday night after an independent report found he was the victim of "inappropriate behaviour".

Azeem Rafiq believes the positions of Yorkshire chief executive, Mark Arthur, and the club's director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, are now "untenable".

The club's chairman, Roger Hutton, earlier sent Rafiq a "sincere apology" after confirming that "several" allegations raised by Rafiq had been upheld.

It is almost exactly a year since Yorkshire launched the probe into allegations of institutionalised racism raised by the former bowler, who said his experiences at the club left him on the brink of suicide. Rafiq, 30, captained Yorkshire in Twenty20 cricket but left in 2018 and said he was made to feel like an outsider as a Muslim.

In a partial release of findings from a lengthy report sent to the club last weekend, Yorkshire have now confirmed some of his accusations have borne out - but the club prompted fresh anger by delaying publication of the investigation's full findings.

Rafiq initially took to social media to accuse Yorkshire of "fudging" its findings. He then later called for evidence of "accountability" in an interview with the ESPNcricinfo website.

"It seems to me that, while everyone who was in that room in August 2018 remains in positions of responsibility at the club, it will be hard to take their words seriously," he said. "For that reason, I feel the positions of the chief executive, the director of cricket and the inclusivity and diversity manager are untenable."

A statement had been issued by Yorkshire 24 hours after Rafiq first complained over delays in releasing the findings. The club said that "many of the allegations were not upheld and for others there was insufficient evidence for the panel to make a determination".

"It is right, however, to acknowledge from the outset that several of the allegations made by Azeem were upheld and that sadly, historically, Azeem was the victim of inappropriate behaviour," the club added. "This is clearly unacceptable. We would like to express our profound apologies for this."

The independent panel found Yorkshire "failed to implement its policies and procedures" in relation to as-yet unspecified "serious issues: The club said it "understands the importance of the panel’s findings."

Hutton, the club chairman, said: “I would like to acknowledge Azeem’s courage in raising these issues, and his participation in the investigation, which I understand must have been very difficult. I would also like to express my sincere apology to him for certain failings by the club, which have been highlighted by the panel.

"He has very obviously experienced some difficult and distressing times during the time since 2008 and the Club could, and should, have supported him better."

Rafiq initially spoke out last August, referencing alleged specific instances of non-white players being called 'p----' and 'elephant washers' as well as being told to "go back to where you came from".

The player was born in Pakistan but moved to Barnsley as a child. He had two stints at Yorkshire but left three years ago after a period of personal tragedy in his life when his son was stillborn.

Yorkshire commissioned Squire Patton Boggs, an independent law firm, to probe Rafiq’s claims, but in recent weeks the former England Under-19 captain has grown exasperated by the delays to the process. The club said in response on Thursday that the report has "been in depth and far from easy".

"We are sorry that the process took longer than we had hoped, but it has always been our position that the investigation should be thorough, and so far as possible, not compromised by external factors," a statement added.

The panel had "interviewed many witnesses, including Azeem, current and former players, coaching staff and management, who willingly came forward", the club added.

"They also considered significant amounts of material and evidence submitted by a broad range of contributors," a statement said. "We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this important process."

In addition to investigating Azeem’s specific allegations, the scope of the investigation also considered whether Yorkshire was institutionally racist as a club. The panel, chaired by Dr Samir Pathak - a pancreatic surgeon and trustee of the MCC Foundation - undertook the role on a voluntary basis.

"It is important to note that this is not a judicial process and everyone who participated did so voluntarily," the club added,

Addressing delays in publishing the full report, Yorkshire added: "It is inevitable that there is much to digest and we shall have to take advice on the contents of the report.

"We are mindful that in a process of this nature we have a duty of care to all who participated, and we must not breach that duty. We aim to publish as much of the report and recommendations as we are able, subject to any legal restraints on doing so, in the coming weeks."

Who is Azeem Rafiq?

Born in Pakistan, but raised in Barnsley after moving there as a child, off-spinning all-rounder Rafiq, 30, was a regular in England age-group sides before working his way up to being named England Under-19 captain.

In 2012, he became Yorkshire’s youngest ever captain at 21 and first captain of Asian origin when he took charge in a handful of T20 matches. He briefly worked his way into the side in red-ball cricket, but failed to cement his County Championship place and soon became something of a T20 specialist.

Released by Yorkshire in 2014, he spent two years playing league cricket, before the county re-signed him two years later. He once again became a key component of their T20 cricket, but played his last match for Yorkshire in 2018 and has been without a first-class county since.

What is Rafiq’s case against Yorkshire?

Two years after leaving Yorkshire, Rafiq made a series of shocking claims last September about racist abuse he suffered while at the county, which he said left him on the brink of suicide.

He alleged that non-white players were frequently referred to as a "p----" and "elephant washers", while the phrase "go back where you came from" was frequently said in the changing room. He also claimed "institutional racism" at the club was "worse than it’s ever been" and that the club had ignored reports of racist behaviour.

"I know how close I was to committing suicide during my time at Yorkshire," he told ESPNcricinfo. "I was dreading going to work. I was in pain every day."

Yorkshire commissioned an investigation into his claims. Three months later, Rafiq filed a legal claim under the Equality Act, 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.

Why has it emerged again this week?

Almost a year after Rafiq went public with his claims, he spoke out again when it emerged Yorkshire had received the investigation report last week but were yet to make its contents public.

"It’s a sham," Rafiq told ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday. "We’ve waited a year for this report and they are still trying to bury it. 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."

His comments prompted the ECB to tell Yorkshire it was looking forward to receiving a "copy of the report promptly".

On Thursday, Yorkshire confirmed the investigation had concluded that Rafiq was the victim of "inappropriate behaviour". The club offered its "profound apologies" and promised the full report would be published "within weeks".

A Yorkshire statement read: "Many of the allegations were not upheld and for others there was insufficient evidence for the panel to make a determination.

"It is right, however, to acknowledge from the outset that several of the allegations made by Azeem were upheld and that sadly, historically, Azeem was the victim of inappropriate behaviour. This is clearly unacceptable."

What other issues is English cricket currently dealing with?

Three months before Rafiq went public with his allegations last year, former England batsman Michael Carberry claimed "cricket is rife with racism" and that "the people running the game don’t care about black people".

His comments came at the same time as Telegraph Sport conducted an investigation into the decline in the number of black cricketers in England and the paucity of black coaches.

Mark Alleyne, one of just three black British head coaches ever to take charge of an English first-class team, said "the numbers are disgusting". Lonsdale Skinner, the chairman of the African Caribbean Cricketers’ Association and former Surrey player, said black players had been "deliberately excluded" by English cricket since the mid-1990s.

Last November, former umpires John Holder and Ismail Dawood accused the ECB of "years of racism" and called for an independent inquiry into the lack of non-white officials in the English game. No non-white umpires have been appointed to the first-class list since 1992. Holder and Dawood later decided to sue the ECB under the Equality Act.