LONDON: Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq will appear before British lawmakers on Tuesday with the chance to give an unvarnished account of his experiences of discrimination at the club that is engulfed in a racism scandal.
An independent report found the Pakistan-born player was a victim of “racial harassment and bullying” while Rafiq himself said he had been driven to thoughts of suicide over the way he was treated.
Although the county apologized, they said they would take no disciplinary action against any staff — a decision that was met with disbelief in many quarters.
Pakistan-born Rafiq, 30, will give evidence to MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee on Tuesday without fear of repercussions under parliamentary privilege.
Azeem tweeted a short video on Monday, with the message: “Time for TRUTHS!!“
The fallout for Yorkshire — one of England’s most successful and historic clubs — has been swift and devastating.
Sponsors have pulled out and the club has been suspended from hosting lucrative international matches.
Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton quit earlier this month and chief executive Mark Arthur followed him out of the exit door as the Headingley club grappled with the fallout from the crisis.
Subsequent allegations of racism have been made by other players, setting in motion additional investigations at Yorkshire and other clubs as the scandal spreads.
Hutton will also give evidence during the session, along with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison.
On Monday, current England spinner Adil Rashid joined ex-Pakistan Test player Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in alleging that former England Test captain Michael Vaughan had said in front of a group of Yorkshire players of Asian ethnicity in 2009: “Too many of you lot, we need to do something about it.”
Vaughan has again “categorically” denied making the comment.
“To be confronted with this allegation 11 years after it was supposed to have happened is the worst thing I have ever experienced,” he said in a statement.
Yorkshire player Rashid, who issued a statement on Monday via The Cricketer website, said the “cancer” of racism must be stamped out.
“I’m encouraged by the fact that a parliamentary committee seems to be trying to improve the situation, whether that’s holding people accountable or getting changes made at an institutional level,” he said.
New Yorkshire chairman Kamlesh Patel welcomed Rashid’s “courage in speaking up” and said he would be listening to the DCMS committee hearing with great interest.
“It is right that the issues which were initially brought up by Azeem Rafiq, and the way in which they were handled, are properly examined by the committee,” he said.
“We have provided the committee with a copy of the full report, given its legal interest in the case.”
It was still unclear on Monday afternoon who else from the Yorkshire leadership team would give evidence to the lawmakers.
Former chairman Hutton was listed to speak at 1015 GMT, after Rafiq at 0930 GMT.
Committee chairman Julian Knight pulled no punches earlier this month, saying the Yorkshire scandal was one of the “most repellent and disturbing episodes in modern cricket history.”
Rafiq says ‘time for truths’ as MPs probe cricket racism scandal
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Rafiq says ‘time for truths’ as MPs probe cricket racism scandal
- An independent report found the Pakistan-born player was a victim of “racial harassment and bullying”
- Subsequent allegations of racism have been made by other players, setting in motion additional investigations at Yorkshire
Salah and Mbeumo lead the list of Premier League players heading to the AFCON
- Manchester United has lost its most potent attacking force in Bryan Mbeumo, along with two more key figures
MANCHESTER: Mohamed Salah has gone for up to a month, costing Liverpool its all-time leading goal-scorer in the Premier League.
Manchester United has lost its most potent attacking force in Bryan Mbeumo, along with two more key figures.
They’re nothing compared to Sunderland, a promoted team punching above its weight in England’s top flight. It has been decimated by the loss of six players.
The Africa Cup of Nations is taking a toll on the Premier League, with some of its biggest stars heading off to the tournament situated right in the middle of the season.
It is unfortunate that AFCON can be cast as a nuisance for many clubs in Europe — though international soccer in general can be viewed like that when pitted against club ambitions of winning titles. But at least the World Cup, European Championship or Copa America are staged during the offseason of Europe’s top leagues.
AFCON is traditionally held in January-February but has been brought forward this year — from Sunday to Jan. 18 — meaning less disruption for leagues in Spain, Germany and France, which have winter breaks of varying periods in December-January.
The Premier League, however, plays through the Christmas and New Year holidays, with the added strain of the FA Cup thrown into one of the busiest periods of the campaign.
The likes of Liverpool and United should have deep enough squads to cope with the loss of key players such as Salah and Mbeumo. But it could have a major impact on Sunderland, which is just two points off the top four after an outstanding start to the season.
Arthur Masuaku, Noah Sadiki, Bertrand Traore, Habib Diarra, Chemsdine Talbi and Reinildo Mandava are all taking part in the Africa Cup in Morocco.
Sunderland is an outlier with so many going to the tournament but for Crystal Palace the loss of just one player — Ismaila Sarr — is potentially significant, given his importance to the team. Likewise, Brighton is losing key midfielder Carlos Baleba.
Burnley, second to bottom in the standings, is losing three players and so is Fulham.
Notably, at the top of the table, Arsenal has no players in the AFCON, likewise title-challenging Aston Villa and Chelsea, which could be telling over the next month.
Premier League players going to AFCON
Brentford: Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
Brighton: Carlos Baleba (Cameroon)
Burnley: Axel Tuanzebe (DR Congo), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia), Lyle Foster (South Africa)
Crystal Palace: Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)
Everton: Idrissa Gana Gueye (Senegal), Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal)
Fulham: Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Manchester City: Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria), Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
Manchester United: Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)
Nottingham Forest: Willy Boly (Ivory Coast), Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast)
Sunderland: Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo), Noah Sadiki (DR Congo), Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Habib Diarra (Senegal), Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Reinildo Mandava (Mozambique)
Tottenham Hotspur: Yves Bissouma (Mali), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
West Ham United: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo), El Hadji Malik Diouf (Senegal)
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast), Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe)
Key matchups
On Saturday, first-place Arsenal travels to Everton, while City in second is at home against West Ham. Liverpool will look to win back-to-back league games for the first time since September when the defending champion heads to Tottenham.
Aston Villa and United meet on Sunday.
Players to watch
Hugo Ekitike has scored four goals in his last two league games. With Salah off to the AFCON, Liverpool’s other forward can establish themselves without the noise that has surrounded the Anfield icon in recent weeks when his future has been placed in doubt.
Out of action
United States international Tyler Adams suffered suspected left knee MCL damage in Bournemouth’s 4-4 draw with United on Monday. Chelsea forward Estevao has a small muscle issue, coach Enzo Maresca said. Everton was monitoring a potential hamstring complaint for Jack Grealish.
Off the field
Expect more protests at last-place Wolves.
Bottom of the standings and looking certain to be relegated, Wolves will equal Sheffield United’s 2020-21 record of 17 games without a win from the start of a Premier League season if they fail to beat Brentford at home on Saturday.
There were protests at Wolves’ last home match against Manchester United this month and, despite a spirited performance at Arsenal last week, Rob Edwards’ team is 14 points adrift of safety.
