"You carry on playing with your words, but this isn’t going away" - Azeem Rafiq comments on Yorkshire's investigation of his racism claims
England domestic cricketer Azeem Rafiq has promised not to stay silent on his allegations of racism against the Yorkshire Cricket Club. Instead, Rafiq has promised to release irrefutable evidence if the Yorkshire Cricket Club does not publish a full report of its investigation.
The 30-year old complained of facing racial discrimination at the club last year. Though Yorkshire promised to investigate his claims, forming a sub-committee, Rafiq also called for the ECB to intervene.
After a delay in publishing the report on their investigation, Yorkshire apologized to Azeem by admitting he had been a victim of 'inappropriate behaviour'. They declared that most of the accusations dated back to ten years ago and a few could not be upheld either.
However, the right-off-spinner isn't satisfied with the investigation. The 30-year old wants to know what Yorkshire classified as appropriate and inappropriate behavior and believes the club should provide some clarity.
"You carry on playing with your words, this isn’t going away. For a start, I’d like to know which allegations have been upheld and which have not. Terming what went on as ‘inappropriate behaviour’ doesn’t sit right with me, either. It was racist behaviour. They should say so," Rafiq stated as quoted by The Guardian.
Azeem Rafiq feels top executives' positions in the club are unteneble
Azeem Rafiq feels the executives at the top of the Yorkshire Cricket Club are holding onto their positions despite being at fault. Rafiq, a Karachi-born cricketer, also believes they lack accountability and all their posts are untenable. Rafiq said:
"I’m also uncomfortable with the narrative that these are ‘historic’ allegations. Most of them concern people who are not just still at the club but in positions of power."
Rafiq added:
"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. For that reason, I feel the positions of the chief executive, the director of cricket and the inclusivity and diversity manager are untenable."
It would be interesting to see how the Yorkshire Cricket Club and the England Cricket Board respond to Rafiq's comments.