English Cricket 'Institutionally Racist': Former Player Azeem Rafiq Tells MPs of 'Bullying'

The chairman of Yorkshire Cricket Club, Roger Hutton, resigned earlier this month after several players of Pakistani origin claimed they suffered racist bullying.

A former cricketer fought back tears on Tuesday, 16 November, as he told MPs about the racist “bullying” he suffered over the years while playing for Yorkshire Cricket Club.

Azeem Rafiq, 30, told Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee racist language was "constantly" used at Yorkshire.

Karachi-born Rafiq, who is a Muslim, said when he was 15 several of the other players forced red wine down his throat.

Rafiq said: "Pretty early on, me and other people from an Asian background...there were comments such as 'you'll sit over there near the toilets', 'elephant-washers'. The word Paki was used constantly. And there just seemed to be an acceptance in the institution from the leaders and no one ever stamped it out."

Hope it’s not lost in all this that Azeem Rafiq is not merely brave but a complete inspiration. It doesn’t just take guts to do what he’s doing. It takes all kinds of strengths and qualities that not many people possess.

— Tom Peck (@tompeck) November 16, 2021

Rafiq has also claimed Michael Vaughan once told him and three other Asian players "There are too many of you lot, we need to do something about it.”

Two other players have corroborated the accusation but Vaughan has denied the claim and on Monday he issued a statement in which he said it was “extremely upsetting that this completely false accusation has been made against me by a former teammate, apparently supported by two other players."

Rafiq told the MPs: “Michael has obviously taken the stance of deny, deny, deny.”

Headingley in Leeds, home of Yorkshire Cricket Club

© AP Photo / Jon Super / Yorkshire

The former player said he had been contacted by players at Leicestershire, Middlesex and Nottinghamshire who had also suffered from racist behaviour and he pointed out that Jamaica-born Maurice Chambers said he had suffered racist abuse at Essex.

Earlier Rafiq broke down in tears as he told the committee of the "inhuman" treatment he received and said he had even contemplated suicide.

Rafiq said the Asian players were regularly called "Paki" and even “bomber”, following terrorist outrages to which they were obviously totally unconnnected.

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Azeem Rafiq breaks down in tears as he tells of racist abuse: Cricketer says 'P***' was used 'constantly' at Yorkshire, Asian players were called 'elephant washers' and player at local club forced wine down his throat at 15 despite being teetotal Muslimhttps://t.co/Sh5pZfYu7P pic.twitter.com/oRVLbyLwxA

— Επικαιρότητα - V - News (@triantafyllidi2) November 16, 2021

Rafiq, who has now left the game and runs a fish and chip shop, said: “I don’t want my son to go anywhere near cricket” and he said the ECB (England Cricket Board) need to use the Yorkshire row as an “opportunity to change” and to set out how to tackle racism in the sport.

Rafiq said he was “staggered” when Yorkshire said several weeks ago that nobody at the club would be disciplined for racist behaviour and then gave a new three-year contract to Gary Ballance, one of the players he had accused.

Listening to Azeem Rafiq give evidence to MPs about the racism he experienced at Yorkshire Cricket Club. Very moving #Cricket pic.twitter.com/46EzjSfoBp

— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) November 16, 2021

Earlier this month Ballance, 31, said: "It has been reported that I used a racial slur and, as I told the independent enquiry, I accept that I did so and I regret doing so. To be clear - I deeply regret some of the language I used in my younger years."

Rafiq said he recalled thinking of Yorkshire’s leadership team: “At what point are these people going to read the room?”

“Even two weeks ago they genuinely thought they could hide this,” he added.

Eventually, after a number of the club’s sponsors withdrew or threatened to withdraw support, Roger Hutton resigned and Lord Kamlesh Patel of Bradford was appointed as chairman.

Lord Patel said: “The club needs to learn from its past errors, regain trust and rebuild relationships with our communities.”

Azeem Rafiq was also subjected to horrific Islamophobic abuse at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, yet so many are keen to avoid using the word Islamophobia.

— Basit Mahmood (@BasitMahmood91) November 16, 2021

Rafiq said he still considered Yorkshire “my team” and he was sorry the situation had become a “car crash.”

“We all love cricket and all we want is a nice game, regardless of race or gender,” he concluded.