Azeem Rafiq says Yorkshire's statement "hurts" after county claim their former player was a "victim of inappropriate behaviour"; Rafiq, who alleged institutional racism at the club, told Sky Sports News: "I'm not having a statement that turns my sufferings into 'inappropriate behaviour'"
Wednesday 1 September 2021 10:17, UK
Azeem Rafiq has strongly condemned Yorkshire's statement after the county said their former player was a "victim of inappropriate behaviour" following his allegations of institutional racism.
Yorkshire issued "profound apologies" to Rafiq after an independent report upheld some of his allegations about his time with the county.
The investigation was commissioned by Yorkshire last September after Rafiq alleged he suffered racist abuse during his time at the club, where he had two spells between 2008 and 2018, which left him feeling suicidal.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Rafiq said the report is "difficult to understand", claiming his allegations are not merely historic but aimed at some people still at the club, while he would also like to understand which have been upheld.
"I don't really know what to say anymore. To try and tone racism down to 'inappropriate behaviour', I find it really difficult to understand what they're actually thinking they're doing," Rafiq told Sky Sports News.
"It hurts, it seriously hurts. I think at the end of it, there's some sort of apology, but I think it gets spoiled by the words that are used to try and minimise what actually my allegations were.
"I'd love to know which one of my allegations have not been upheld as well. I'm very comfortable, as I've said from day one, I've got a lot of proof to back the stuff up that I'm saying. From my point of view, I wouldn't think twice to make sure people see that proof, because I'm not having a statement that turns my sufferings of over a decade into 'inappropriate behaviour'.
"There's a narrative in there to try and put across to people that most of them are historic, but that's not true and I want to make that very clear.
"Most of my allegations are about people who are currently at the club in leadership positions. To try and say these are historic from a long time ago, yes some things span back towards the start of my career, but the majority of them are about the people that are still there - in my second spell at the club."
Rafiq said he has spoken to the ECB and Professional Cricketers' Association and has called for swift action to avoid a "car crash", while he also questioned the support offered for those suffering from mental health issues in cricket.
"We need to avoid that car crash for everyone concerned," Rafiq added. "I've said this to ECB and PCA. Someone needs to get involved and sort it out pretty damn quickly, because quite frankly I'm done, I haven't got much more to give.
"I don't know why I'm sat here spending my days trying to put pressure, when the least person it's benefitting is myself. I'm sick and tired. Clearly the game has serious issues it needs to tackle."
The full report is yet to be released, and while Rafiq says he did not expect full "transparency", he has called for "accountability" and a number of people to leave their roles at Yorkshire.
"To do a statement and not give a report, clearly they're trying to buy some more time, delay it in whatever way they're trying to delay it," he said.
"But I've got a message for them: it isn't going away, I'm not going away.
"I've toughened up a lot through this 12-month process, but I feel like why should I continuously give these guys an opportunity when all they're intent on doing is protect people and make me out to be the problem."
He added: "I've got some of the excuses that they've been using for some of the delays and they're just laughable.
"If they really want to deal with this properly, the first point now is accountability. The chief executive, the director of cricket, the inclusivity and diversity manager whose front room I sat in and cried my eyes out - I think they need to go, it's as simple as that.
"The patience has gone. I'm not going to put myself through any more mental turmoil. It's time for this to be dealt with properly. If not, that's fine, I know what I went through. I've got the stuff I've got to prove that, I can put it in the public domain and let people work it out for themselves. No problem with that either."
Sky Sports News has contacted Yorkshire for a response but the club will make no further comment at this stage.
In March the ECB established the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) to examine issues relating to race and equity in the game.
On Thursday they released a statement in relation to the Rafiq case, commending his "bravery" and noting their "concern" that some of the allegations were upheld.
ICEC chair Cindy Butts also said their own investigations around racism and wider discrimination in cricket will lead to a call for evidence in autumn, with a report expected to be published in the summer of 2022.
Butts said: "We commend Azeem Rafiq for the bravery he has shown in speaking up and shining a light on the racism he said he experienced as a Yorkshire Cricketer. We note with concern that the Independent Panel, chaired by Dr. Samir Pathak, concluded that several of the allegations made by Azeem were upheld and that he was the victim of inappropriate behaviour.
"We await a copy of the report but recognise both the pain and the distress of participating in an investigation into these matters. It is critical that Azeem, and others who gave evidence, receive appropriate support and we are seeking assurances that this is the case.
"The commission aims to conduct a thorough examination of how ECB-governed cricketing organisations approach complaints of racism and wider discrimination, and will consider the panel's report and its implications. We will be reaching out to Azeem and others to speak to us as part of our work to build the body of evidence needed to promote meaningful and sustainable changes to the game.
"Our call for evidence launches in the autumn 2021 and we are keen to hear from anyone who has experienced discrimination in cricket. We encourage all to take this opportunity to share their experiences and will provide opportunities to individuals to disclose both confidentially and anonymously to the commission.
"Our work will conclude in the summer 2022 wherein we will publish our final report with recommendations designed to make cricket a genuinely equal and inclusive sport."
