Yorkshire has issued an apology to the former Azeem Rafiq player and accepted that he was a victim of racial and intimidation harassment during his first spell in the area, said the club on Friday.
Rafiq, a Pakistani descendant and former team captain under 19-19 England, last year said that he was made to feel like outsiders in Yorkshire and even reflect on his own life.
Yorkshire launched an investigation with an independent panel in September to look into allegations, and a summary of findings and recommendations was published on Friday.
“There is no question that Azeem Rafiq, as long as his first spell as a player in the YCCC, is a victim of racial abuse.
He is also the next victim of intimidation,” said Chairman Roger Hutton in a statement.
“On behalf of all on YCCC, I want to extend my sincere, deep and peaked for Azeem and his family.” Rafiq, 30, played for Yorkshire between 2008 and 2014 before returning for a two-year spell in 2016.
He was not immediately available to comment.
Yorkshire said seven of Rafiq more than 40 charges were enforced, including that Rafiq was not given halal food in the match, something that has now been repaired.
There are three examples of racist languages used before 2012, the report was found, and that the former coach “regularly used” race language in 2012.
During the two Rafiq spells, jokes around religion were made and references to the weight and fitness of players.
Made, the report said.
The club said it should do more to make Muslims feel welcomed and handled better with complaints of racist or anti-social behavior.
However, the report found that there was enough evidence to conclude that the club was racist in an institutional, and that the decision on the selection of Rafiq and the final release of Yorkshire was fully based on cricket reasons.
“It’s a good regret problem that works both from so many people in the club – both with Azeem and in our efforts to build an inclusive and welcoming cricket club that represents the best of all Yorkshire – risky overshadowed by behavior and comments from several people,” Hutton said.
Yorkshire said the former Rafiq player was a victim of abuse and intimidation
