Yorkshire cricket boss quits as racism disaster shakes sport

The chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club give up on Friday because the membership struggled to include a disaster over its dealing with of a former participant’s racism allegations which have shaken the game.
Roger Hutton stated he resigned “with immediate effect.” He cited the membership’s unwillingness to simply accept the claims by former participant Azeem Rafiq and its refusal to apologize.

“There has been a constant unwillingness from the executive members of the board and senior management at the club to apologize, and to accept that there was racism, and to look forward,” Hutton stated. “For much of my time at the club, I experienced a culture that refuses to accept change or challenge.”
He apologized “unreservedly” to Rafiq. Hutton additionally urged the board to comply with him and three members have stepped down: Hanif Malik and Stephen Willis. Neil Hartley stated he’ll go away after a transition.
Hutton was changed by Kamlesh Patel, the chair of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s South Asian advisory group and a former board member.
Patel stated Yorkshire “needs to learn from its past errors, regain trust and rebuild relationships with our communities.”
Rafiq, a former England Under-19 captain, stated in interviews final yr that as a Muslim he was made to really feel like an “outsider” throughout his time at Yorkshire from 2008-18 and he was near taking his personal life.
A proper investigation was commissioned by Yorkshire in September 2020 into 43 allegations made by Rafiq, with seven of them upheld in a report launched solely in September beneath strain from lawmakers. It discovered Rafiq — a former captain — was the sufferer of racial harassment and bullying.
But it additionally stated a racial slur directed at Rafiq was delivered “in the spirit of friendly banter.” And the membership stated it will not take any disciplinary motion towards any of its workers, gamers or executives.
The UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid known as for “heads to roll.” Julian Knight, the chair of a authorities choose committee, known as Yorkshire’s strikes “repellent and disturbing.”
On Wednesday, former England cricketer Gary Ballance admitted utilizing a racial slur towards Rafiq once they had been teammates at Yorkshire, however stated “this was a situation where best friends said offensive things to each other which, outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate.”
Rafiq responded that his grievance was “not about individuals” and extra to do with “institutional racism and abject failures.”
On Thursday, former England and Yorkshire captain Michael Vaughan denied an allegation within the report that he as soon as advised a gaggle of Asian teammates there’s “too many of your lot, we need to do something about it.”
But Pakistan worldwide Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, an abroad participant on the county throughout the 2008 and 2009 seasons, claimed to ESPN Cricinfo that he overhead Vaughan utilizing racially insensitive feedback and provided to offer proof to any inquiry.
Yorkshire has been suspended by the ECB from internet hosting worldwide matches, together with an England take a look at towards New Zealand in 2022 and an Ashes take a look at in 2023.
The ECB has began its personal investigation and slammed the membership for its “wholly unacceptable” response to the racism confronted by Rafiq.
“The ECB find this matter abhorrent and against the spirit of cricket and its values,” the governing physique stated in an announcement. The case “is causing serious damage to the reputation of the game.”

Several sponsors, together with equipment provider Nike, have abandoned Yorkshire.
Founded greater than 150 years in the past, Yorkshire is probably the most profitable workforce in English cricket.
Hutton joined the Yorkshire board in 2020, virtually two years after Rafiq ended his second stint on the membership, and stated he has by no means met the participant.
“During my time as chairman, I take responsibility for failing to persuade them to take appropriate and timely action,” Hutton stated on Friday. “This frustration has been shared by all of the non-executive members of the board, some of whom have also now resigned.”
Hutton added he reached out for assist in the membership investigation from the ECB however was pissed off by its “reluctance to help.”