One player from the Yorkshire cricket team has accepted of calling Azeem Rafiq a ‘P** I’. However, the player was cleared on the basis of the reports that the banter was a friendly one between the two players.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, Yorkshire’s report- which has been shared with ECB for further investigation- has given a free pass to the individual whose name was on the top in the Azeem Rafiq’s racism case. Reports said that the banter was a friendly one & there was nothing ill-mannered in it.
Apparently, the player clearly admitted that he told other players not to talk to Azeem Rafiq as he is a ‘P** I’; asking ‘is that your uncle?’ when bearded Asian men were in view; and saying in reference to corner shops — ‘does your Dad own those?’
It was clearly said by the investigative panel that Rafiq, ex-England Under 19 captain, never took it in a bad-mannered way or never was offended at that time & in the current scenario. ‘Azeem took it is a friendly banter between to friends” stated the panel. The intentions were never bad from the Yorkshire cricketer.
On Monday morning, the Yorkshire committee declared that there won’t be any disciplinary actions taken by them in the case of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations.
“The club carried out its own internal investigation which shows there is no conduct or action taken by any current employees, players or executives that warrants disciplinary action,” read a club statement released to Sportsmail.
“We do, however, acknowledge we must work hard to restore trust from those who feel let down.”
“There is much the club can learn from the independent report, and we are committed to incorporating the panel’s recommendations into our diversity and inclusion plans.”
What did Azeem Rafiq’s spokesperson say?
From Rafiq’s side, his spokesperson said:
“This is despite Yorkshire’s admission that Azeem was the victim of racial harassment and bullying, and despite their admission, they failed to follow their own policy and investigate allegations of racism as recently as 2018.”
“It is inconceivable that there are no current employees who should not have been disciplined. It is time that board members — for once — did the decent thing and resigned.”
The report by the Yorkshire committee was released on September 10.
