Yorkshire Cricket Racism Scandal

[esmufc07]

Feel like this is going to continue to grow. Absolutely shocking what’s been going on and Yorkshire Cricket’s response. Admitted the player in question was the victim of racial abuse, but said that it should have been taken as ‘banter’ and didn’t take any further action.

Summary here

Azeem Rafiq: Yorkshire cricket racism scandal -how we got here
https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/59166142

Now another unnamed player has come forward

Yorkshire County Cricket Club investigating after another ex-player alleges racial abuse
https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/59186071

 

[Abizzz]

Respect to Rafiq for standing up to it!

 

[Drainy]

50 years behind the rest of the country. That's Yorkshire for you.

 

[jojojo]

The starting point should be the resignation of the Yorkshire board and anyone else in the club involved in the approval of the report into the investigation. The "institutional racism" charge was proven as soon as they attempted to use terms like "banter" in their official justification for inaction.

 

[Penna]

50 years behind the rest of the country. That's Yorkshire for you.

They've wanted to be an independent state or something for a very long time. I lived in inner-city West Yorkshire for 6 years, and although I met some really nice people and made good friends there, overall it wasn't an experience I'd choose to repeat.

 

[Pexbo]

Is this another Channel 5 programme?

 

[Foxbatt]

Michael Vaughn is also accused of saying too many of you lot here.

 

[Vidyoyo]

He added that Yorkshire and cricket in general "desperately need reform and cultural change".

Harsh but fair

 

[Paxi]

“It was just banter” — pure Richard Keys vibes which says it all.

 

[Cloud7]

“It was just banter” — pure Richard Keys vibes which says it all.

You would imagine over the years that most racism around sport has been brushed off as “Just banter”

 

[Drainy]

You would imagine over the years that most racism around sport has been brushed off as “Just banter”

In most areas of life, in fairness.

 

[Cloud7]

In most areas of life, in fairness.

True, but with how much of an old boys club sport is, together with the “macho” culture that’s around it, I imagine it’s more prominent there than in other places.

 

[Eyepopper]

the investigation concluded it was "friendly and good-natured banter"

unnamed player, who is of Asian heritage, said he was once urinated on by a team-mate

 

[Drainy]

True, but with how much of an old boys club sport is, together with the “macho” culture that’s around it, I imagine it’s more prominent there than in other places.

Especially in Yorkshire

 

[Paxi]

Quite

Whomever this dude is; he looks like jurgen Klopp.

 

[esmufc07]

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[arnie_ni]

And they tried to say that's banter?he'd be getting a clip round the head with my cricket bat and then one to the dick he was using to piss on me with.

Disgusting.

 

[diarm]

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Jesus that was hard to watch. Massive, massive respect to him for being brave enough to stand up and say enough is enough.

 

[groovyalbert]

Feck me - watching the inquest now, painful watching. Absolutely disgusting to hear. Huge problems for Yorkshire, ECB and English cricket as a whole.

Good on Rafiq for being so brave to bring the issues to light. Just think how many more may have gone through similar experiences.

 

[WeePat]

50 years behind the rest of the country. That's Yorkshire for you.

I live in Yorkshire, and I don't really see it being particularly different from any part of the country that I've resided in. Unless you mean specifically Yorkshire CCC, then fair enough.

 

[WeePat]

Absolutely grim this story. Hard to listen to Rafiq's testimony.

 

[Drainy]

I live in Yorkshire, and I don't really see it being particularly different from any part of the country that I've resided in. Unless you mean specifically Yorkshire CCC, then fair enough.

I grew up in a working class area of West Yorkshire and growing up there was a lot of racism and xenophobia around.

 

[WeePat]

I grew up in a working class area of West Yorkshire and growing up there was a lot of racism and xenophobia around.

Fair enough. I've only lived in this part of the country for a couple of years, so you'd know better than me. I certainly haven't seen anything that immediately stood out to me as particularly racist or xenophobic. I've found it to be a pretty hospitable place with friendly and welcoming communities. I'm not white though, I'm also 6'3, so perhaps those things you mention just doesn't happen in my presence. It's certainly a possibility

 

[Drainy]

Fair enough. I've only lived in this part of the country for a couple of years, so you'd know better than me. I certainly haven't seen anything that immediately stood out to me as particularly racist or xenophobic. I've found it to be a pretty hospitable place with friendly and welcoming communities. I'm not white though, I'm also 6'3, so perhaps those things you mention just doesn't happen in my presence. It's certainly a possibility

There is a large and relatively well integrated black-British Caribbean descent community, to be fair to my home town but I think there was/is a lot of ignorance. In particular Islamophobia is a problem, but also broad anti-immigration sentiment against eastern Europeans and callousness towards refugees and asylum seekers.

 

[The Firestarter]

One issue I have right now is that I used to root for Greg a little bit, but now I want absolutely everyone to fail miserably , get humiliated and serve time Or maybe it's an intended feature of the show...

 

[RedTiger]

I grew up in a working class area of West Yorkshire and growing up there was a lot of racism and xenophobia around.

Of all the places I've been in the UK, Yorkshire is by far the place I've faced most racism. It makes sense they'd be the most racist and xenophobic though as it's hard not to be when you don't mix, Yorkshire is the most segregated place I've seen in the UK.

 

[GeorgieBoy]

Of all the places I've been in the UK, Yorkshire is by far the place I've faced most racism. It makes sense they'd be the most racist and xenophobic though as it's hard not to be when you don't mix, Yorkshire is the most segregated place I've seen in the UK.

With respect; can't agree with the bolded. Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford in particular are all massively diverse areas. The more rural areas not so much but you could say that about any county.
I agree it is clear Yorkshire CC seems to be systemically racist and wouldn't be surprised if more stories come out from other clubs in the near future.
I think racism in cricket is definitely systemic and it has a bit of an 'old gentleman's club banter' feel about it a lot of the time.

 

[RedTiger]

With respect; can't agree with the bolded. Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford in particular are all massively diverse areas. The more rural areas not so much but you could say that about any county.
I agree it is clear Yorkshire CC seems to be systemically racist and wouldn't be surprised if more stories come out from other clubs in the near future.
I think racism in cricket is definitely systemic and it has a bit of an 'old gentleman's club banter' feel about it a lot of the time.

I should have prefaced that my experiences with Yorkshire are from the 80s and early 90s. I'm sure a lot has changed in the proceeding 30 years.

 

[T00lsh3d]

I should have prefaced that my experiences with Yorkshire are from the 80s and early 90s. I'm sure a lot has changed in the proceeding 30 years.

Yorkshire has experienced immigration slower than the rest of the country (I believe, no stats to back that up, just a hunch). Having lived in Yorkshire for the last 25 years it’s markedly more tolerant and accepting than it used to be when I was younger. That might also be true of the rest of the country as well, but it’s only fair I point it out

 

[VP89]

I don't think racism in the sport is limited to Yorkshire anyway.

 

[DeGea]

Just watched his interview clips. Wow. Just unbelievable. Respect to him for standing up and speaking up about the abuse. Absolutely disgusting. Should not happen in this day and age. Everyone is the same regardless of skin colour/race/religion, the only thing that matters is the kindness of your heart.

 

[rotherham_red]

Yorkshire has experienced immigration slower than the rest of the country (I believe, no stats to back that up, just a hunch). Having lived in Yorkshire for the last 25 years it’s markedly more tolerant and accepting than it used to be when I was younger. That might also be true of the rest of the country as well, but it’s only fair I point it out

I'm Asian, and was born and raised in Rotherham, have family in West Yorkshire, and went to Uni in the North-East of the county. I'd say RedTiger is pretty spot on in his summation. There is a sense of disparity throughout the region. Nothing too drastic of course, but there are very clear white and brown areas.

In terms of YCCC, their racism was very well known throughout the community when I was growing up in the 90s, and I know first hand of friends who were treated as bad as what Azeem described. But this isn't just a Yorkshire issue, it's a cricket in England one. It's a sport that has its roots so very deeply steeped in colonialism, and it plays out in every match, knowingly or unknowingly.

 

[lefty_jakobz]

When most of the board and those who are meant to be protecting the players blindly ignore the racist remarks and call them banter you know you're in a no win situation.

 

[SilentWitness]

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[The Corinthian]

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That's just vile and horrible. I rate her for being able to make light of it, but must be so depressing to receive shit like this continuously.

 

[Conor]

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It's properly scary that there are people out there that think like this.

 

[Withnail]

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I'm surprised whoever wrote that was allowed pens.

 

[rimaldo]

i’m no expert but that’s clearly old person writing. i’ve seen enough old people writing.

 

[Volumiza]

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Interesting, with that awful and barely legible writing to claim she is 'illiterate'. Fecking moronic. Imagine living with all that sh*te in your head. I can't imagine how receiving a letter like that would make you feel, kudos to her for making light of it though.

 

[Superden]

you only have to look at twitter (yes i know its a cesspit) but the comments from some accounts with decent followings that normally promote tory party guff to see how much of an issue racism is. so many comments / opinions referencing the race card and money grabbing. i played club cricket in the 80s and 90s and then saw my kids involved with club cricket in the last decade, and its arguably worse now then it was then. especially in terms of how clique it is, that could also be a class thing, but unless your prepared to spend time in the clubhouse (ie the bar), then you see the walls go up.