Yorkshire has been banned from hosting England matches by the Rugby Football Union amid concerns over its inability to guarantee a safe venue. Banning Yorkshire, which is currently bottom of England’s first division, will allow London and Manchester more chances at staging international games.
The “azeem rafiq wiki” is a page that provides information about the Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq. He was suspended from hosting England matches because of poor behaviour.
This summer, the third Test between England and India was contested at Headingley.
Yorkshire has been barred from hosting England matches after a harsh censure from the England and Wales Cricket Board for the club’s reaction to racism suffered by former player Azeem Rafiq.
Rafiq was deemed to be a victim of “racial abuse and bullying” after an inquiry, but the club claimed no disciplinary action will be taken.
The suspension will persist until the club has “clearly proved that it can satisfy the standards anticipated,” according to the ECB board.
Meanwhile, Sport reports that a number of members of the Yorkshire board are poised to quit on Friday before an emergency board meeting.
The board is under fire after the ECB and the UK government chastised it for its handling of the Rafiq issue.
The ECB said that Yorkshire’s handling of the situation is “clearly unsatisfactory” and is “creating considerable harm to the game’s image.”
“Given recent occurrences, it is evident there are substantial doubts surrounding the governance and administration of YCCC,” according to a statement.
“The club’s inability to act on and respond to their own findings is a severe infringement of the game’s duties.”
Gary Ballance of Yorkshire has been barred indefinitely from England selection after admitting to using racist comments against ex-teammate Rafiq.
Julian Knight, the head of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, who called for the Yorkshire board to quit this week, said he hoped the ECB fines would “serve as a quick, sharp jolt to bring the club to its senses.”
“I believe the members of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, like the rest of us, will be wondering why the board is still in existence,” he continued.
If Ballance had still been available for England, he claimed it would have been “absolutely unacceptable.”
The repercussions from Yorkshire’s reaction to the racism complaint became even stronger on Monday, when ESPN Cricinfo revealed that a derogatory phrase concerning Rafiq’s Pakistani ancestry was used against him on a daily basis, but the inquiry determined it was “friendly and good-natured banter.”
In 2022, Headingley will host a men’s Test match against New Zealand as well as a men’s one-day international versus South Africa.
In 2023, the Leeds pitch will also host an Ashes Test against Australia.
Nike, as well as a number of other sponsors, have broken connections with the team.
The ECB board has also requested the ECB executive to conduct a study of Yorkshire’s leadership to see whether it is fit for purpose. The situation is still under examination by the ECB.
At the conclusion of the ECB’s inquiry, financial and additional match allocation penalties may be imposed.
“I need a little time to ponder on what the ECB stated this evening and the steps they’re proposing to take,” Rafiq, 30, said after the announcement on Thursday.
“At this moment, I’m not going to say anything further.”
What brought us here? The 15-month-long saga
Azeem Rafiq, a former England junior captain, played for Yorkshire for two seasons and represented the county in a Twenty20 match in 2012.
Yorkshire’s investigations started in September 2020, when Rafiq, who played for the club from 2008 to 2018, said that “institutional racism” at the club drove him to consider suicide.
Yorkshire published the results of an independent assessment in September after more than a year and after being urged to do so by MPs. The study confirmed seven of Rafiq’s 43 complaints.
However, after the club’s own inquiry into the report’s conclusions, no players, coaches, or executives will face disciplinary punishment.
That decision, as well as the following allegation that the investigation classified the use of a racial word as “banter,” has prompted key politicians to criticize the club, including health minister Sajid Javid.
On November 16, senior Yorkshire officials have been summoned to a DCMS select committee meeting, where Rafiq will also testify.
Ballance, who hasn’t played for England since 2017, claimed he “regrets” uttering the derogatory remarks on Wednesday.
Timeline for the Rafiq report
2 September 2020: After an initial interview with Wisdenexternal-link, ESPN Cricinfo publishes an article with Rafiqexternal-link in which he alleges “institutional racism” at Yorkshire County Cricket Club drove him to consider suicide.
September 3rd, 2020: Yorkshire have begun a “formal inquiry” into Rafiq’s charges, and chairman Roger Hutton has said that the club would conduct a “wider assessment” of its “rules and culture.”
Yorkshire asks an independent legal firm to look into Rafiq’s charges of racism against the club on September 5, 2020.
November 13th, 2020: After presenting his initial account before the committee, Rafiq says he expects to bring about “real change.”
Rafiq files a court lawsuit against Yorkshire on December 15, 2020, alleging “direct discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, as well as victimization and damage as a consequence of attempting to confront racism within the club.”
After ESPN Cricinfo revealed texts addressed to Rafiq’s law company, Yorkshire threatened a lifelong ban for anybody found to have made threats against him, his family, or his legal team on February 2, 2021.
Rafiq’s employment tribunal dispute with his previous club Yorkshire fails to reach a conclusion on June 17, 2021. His racist claims are still being investigated by an impartial body.
Yorkshire receives the results of an independent inquiry following the racism claims on August 16, 2021, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) requests a copy two days later.
19 August 2021: Yorkshire, which has yet to share the report’s conclusions, acknowledges Rafiq was “the victim of improper behavior” and expresses their “deep regrets.”
Yorkshire, Rafiq claims, is downplaying racism by referring to him as a victim of “inappropriate behavior.”
MPs order Yorkshire to publish the report’s conclusions “quickly” on September 8, 2021.
Yorkshire releases the report’s conclusions on September 10, 2021, stating that Rafiq was a “victim of racial abuse and bullying,” with an independent tribunal upholding seven of the 43 complaints made by the player.
The assessment said that there was “insufficient evidence to demonstrate that Yorkshire County Cricket Club is institutionally racist,” according to Hutton.
Yorkshire issued a summary of the panel’s conclusions and recommendations, but stated the complete report could not be disclosed due to “privacy legislation and defamation concerns.”
Yorkshire fail a deadline to provide the complete report to Rafiq and his legal team on October 8, 2021, after an employment court ordered the club to do so by Friday, October 8.
Rafiq gets a substantially censored version on October 13, 2021, while the ECB claims it is still waiting for the entire report.
Yorkshire says it conducted its own internal investigation following the report’s findings and concluded that “no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players, or executives warrants disciplinary action.” 28 October 2021: Yorkshire says it conducted its own internal investigation following the report’s findings and concluded that “no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players, or executives warrants disciplinary action.”
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee requests that Hutton come before it on November 2, 2021, to answer questions concerning Yorkshire’s handling of a probe into Rafiq’s racism claims.
Following the release of a leaked report allegedly including details of the inquiry into Rafiq’s treatment, MP Knight, head of the DCMS select committee, has called on the board of Yorkshire County Cricket Club to resign.
According to ESPN, the study decided that a racially derogatory phrase used against Rafiq was considered “banter.”
Knight makes his remarks after Health Secretary Sajid Javid calls for “heads to roll” in Yorkshire and says the ECB is “unfit for purpose” if it does not intervene. In a Twitter tweet, he further claims that the phrase used to characterize Rafiq was “not banter.”
The European Central Bank (ECB) has said that it would launch a “full” examination into the incident.
3 November 2021: The DCMS hearing is set for November 16th, and Rafiq, along with top Yorkshire officials, will be invited to testify in person.
Several sponsors have ended their affiliations with Yorkshire County Cricket Club, including principal sponsor Emerald Publishing and Yorkshire Tea.
Ballance apologizes for using a racist slur at former Yorkshire teammate Rafiq in a long statement.
Yorkshire is barred from hosting international matches by the ECB from November 4, 2021.
Nike’s four-year contract, which began in March 2021, is coming to an end.
Yorkshire have been suspended from hosting England matches after the ECB found that they were not complying with their anti-corruption policies. Reference: azeem rafiq debut.
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