Azeem to Tribunal: Hoggard referred to as us Raffa the Kaffir, Elephant washer, P***

On Tuesday, former Yorkshire participant Azeem Rafiq, on the centre of English cricket’s racism scandal, gave disturbing particulars from his enjoying days to the Leeds Employment Tribunal. The 30-year-old spinner, whereas alleging ill-treatment and bias due to his roots, had filed a case in opposition to the Yorkshire Cricket membership. His emotional outpouring is a part of the doc revealed for public file on the UK Parliamentary committees web site.

Spectacular braveness from Azeem Rafiq giving this testimony.
So so grim pic.twitter.com/njq1ROF2fi
— Oli Dugmore (@OliDugmore) November 16, 2021
Following are the excerpts from Rafiq’s submission.
“Raffa the Kaffir, Elephant washer and Pigs”
On Matthew Hoggard, former England bowler:
It was Hoggy [Matthew Hoggard] who began calling me “Raffa the Kaffir”. At the time, I truthfully didn’t perceive that it was a racist slur. My nickname on the membership was “Raffa”, which was a shortening of my surname Rafiq, so when he began calling me “Raffa the Kaffir” – I simply thought he stated it as a result of it rhymed. It was solely later I realised what “Kaffir” meant, the way it was used, and that it was a racist time period.
The feedback from Hoggy in direction of myself and the opposite Asian gamers – Adil, Ajmal and Rana – have been fixed, every day, and all day, every single day. I believe he might need thought it was simply dressing room banter, however we’d are available in within the morning and he would say issues like “you lot sit over there” and make us all sit collectively. He would additionally name us issues like “elephant washers” and “P***”.
After I made my disclosure to the media (with out naming any names and solely referring to the phrases that have been used), Hoggy referred to as me to apologise for what he had stated to me. I thanked him and I respect him for that.

“Me and other people from Asian background” had feedback like “you lot sit over there near the toilets, elephant washers”
Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq offers particulars to MPs of his therapy within the Yorkshire dressing roomhttps://t.co/ah7QiW0Vk5 pic.twitter.com/DEht6PPVS6
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 16, 2021
***
‘There’s too a lot of you lot’
On Michael Vaughan, former England captain:
Michael Vaughan was considered one of my cricketing heroes. I bear in mind watching him captain England within the iconic Ashes sequence in 2005 – once I was captain of the England underneath 15s and enjoying for Yorkshire, like him – and I actually appeared as much as and admired him and aspired to observe in his footsteps. In 2009, once I was 18, I bear in mind being so excited to lastly be in the identical dressing room as him (Nottingham v Yorkshire, 22 June 2009). But the very first thing he stated to us, because the Asian gamers on the staff (myself, Adil, Ajmal and Rana), after the huddle and as we have been strolling on to the sector was “there’s too many of you lot. We need to have a word about that”. The 4 of us by no means performed one other match collectively once more after that.
At the time, I bear in mind being shocked and pondering, “did he actually just say that?”. I felt so dissatisfied that I felt sick. And then I felt indignant. But I used to be so decided to play for England that I simply tried to let it go. But I by no means forgot it. Lots of stuff that was stated at YCCC damage me, however listening to this from considered one of my cricketing heroes, it actually caught with me.
***
“Why are you talking to him he’s a Paki”
On Gary Balance, former Yorkshire captain:
Gary Ballance is a cricketer from Zimbabwe who joined YCCC in 2008. While Hoggy began “Raffa the Kaffir”, it was Gary who actually picked it up and actually ran with it. Gary was additionally identified to name any particular person of color, “Kevin”.
I performed within the first staff earlier than Gary did and was out and in of the primary staff between 2009 and 2011. It was 2012, once I made my breakthrough (which was across the time I started socialising extra with the staff, together with ingesting alcohol to attempt to slot in), so I began going out with Gary and Joe Root, and at the moment I thought-about them each to be associates (I nonetheless think about Joe a pal). But over time, the fixed racist banter from Gary grew to become an excessive amount of. He would continuously speak right down to me and make racist jokes, designed to undermine me and make me really feel small, like arising
During the Abu Dhabi pre-season journey in 2009, Gary ridiculed me for not participating within the ingesting tradition. On the final night of the journey, everybody needed to carry out a present. Gary’s present, as at all times, was about him ingesting sambuca and he was beloved for his present. My present was non-alcohol associated and Gary humiliated me in entrance of everybody for the dearth of leisure, in comparison with himself. Over time and after many feedback like this, I felt strain to take part within the ingesting tradition.
Gary would repeatedly make belittling or derogatory feedback about my Pakistani heritage to others in entrance of me in varied settings (“Don’t talk to him, he’s a Paki” or “Why are you talking to him he’s a Paki”), together with on cricket journeys and at features. This occurred in entrance of a great deal of folks, together with James Wainman, Joe Root, James Lee, Karl Carver, my agent Will Quinn and Bryan Teller. It bought to the purpose that he stated it so usually, it grew to become insufferable. I grew to become fully fed up with it and I ended up having to complain to my agent, Will Quinn, on a lot of events. At the PCA Awards occasion in 2014, Gary made one other racist, belittling, racist remark to a girl about me in entrance of me, about me being Pakistani. I used to be so fed up that I needed to hit him and we needed to be pulled aside by our agent, Will Quinn.

“It’s such a cop out” to say racism is a “societal problem”
Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq says racism in “cricket and professional sport in general” is “a lot worse than society”https://t.co/ah7QiW0Vk5 pic.twitter.com/ywLRTUj3Yw
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 16, 2021
***
“Martyn’s behaviour confirmed to me that I was never going to get any support from the club”
On Martyn Moxon, Head Coach after which later, Director of Cricket.
In 2014, I used to be launched from the Club by Martyn Moxon over a cellphone name. He indicated to me that this was on account of my efficiency. Although I had suffered from YIPS in 2013 (PHB218), this was not a recurring drawback and Martyn himself had confirmed on 24 April 2014 that “I had got over the YIPS problem” (PHB221). It was throughout this time in 2012 that I had been ingesting, along with Adil Rashid, to try to match into the Club tradition. In retrospect, the fixed racist feedback and “banter” was affecting my psychological state and my efficiency, But I used to be not provided help from the membership, regardless that folks knew I used to be struggling. It was on this interval I had my first suicidal ideas – and was one night time getting ready to suicide. Even although I had bought over the YIPS drawback, I used to be launched from the Club. I left the Club disillusioned in 2014.

Former Yorkshire cricketer, Azeem Rafiq says that the trauma he skilled after enduring racism led to him leaving the nation.
Read extra on this story: https://t.co/F7T9Bgf7it pic.twitter.com/FrUoS80jlu
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 16, 2021
Throughout 2017 and 2018, I struggled on account of the bullying, focusing on and racism I confronted – to the purpose that, once more, I had suicidal ideas. Despite my disclosure Martyn to about this in August 2017, nothing was finished. Soon after, I confronted accusations of “faking injuries” and “ruling myself out” of choice by teammates, which meant that senior administration (i.e. Martyn and others) have been overtly discussing my confidential medical data and their assessments of them. I used to be being unnoticed of coaching and video games.

When I returned to the Club after the bereavement interval which was in or round June 2018, on the primary day, Martyn Moxon pulled me right into a room and began highlighting to me the issues that I had attributable to not chatting with the coach (Andrew Gale) and the captain (Steve Patterson). I really thought that he was asking to talk to me alone to ask how I used to be and the way the household have been after the trauma that we had endured, however his solely concern was that the coach and captain had complained about me. I attempted to elucidate the scenario and the way I had been assured I’d play, which is why I had agreed to go and miss a essential medical appointment with my spouse (which was essential in her being pregnant problems) however ended up with twelfth man duties as an alternative. I reiterated that had he not finished that and had I identified I wasn’t enjoying, I’d have been with my spouse at a vital medical appointment. But Martyn confirmed me no sympathy and categorically said that I used to be an issue (see additional under). Martyn’s behaviour confirmed to me that I used to be by no means going to get any help from the membership it doesn’t matter what I went by.

“They weren’t really bothered about the fact that I was at training one day and I get a phone call to say there’s no heartbeat”
Giving proof to MPs, ex-Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq says he was handled in an “inhuman” method when his unborn son diedhttps://t.co/QrkOmxLKIy pic.twitter.com/Bq7UCRuakd
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 16, 2021