Yorkshire and a “number of individuals” were charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday following the governing body’s investigation into how the county dealt with racism allegations made by former player Azeem Rafiq.
The ECB did not name any of the people in-volved in a statement issued today. The board said the charges arose from alleged breaches of the ECB’s anti-discrimination code as well as rules concerned with the conduct of players and officials.
The governing body added that an independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) would now hear the cases, expected to take place in September and October.
The ECB said it was standard practice for the CDC panel to publish its decisions and written rea-sons in full.
Pakistan-born former off-spinner Rafiq first raised allegations of racism and bullying in Septem-ber 2020, related to his two spells at Yorkshire.
It was not until a year later that the club finally released a statement saying the retired player had been the victim of “racial harassment and bullying”, upholding seven of his 43 allegations.
But the following month, the club confirmed nobody would be disciplined, a decision that was greeted with widespread incredulity.
Pressure mounted on Yorkshire, leading to a mass clear-out of senior boardroom figures and coaching staff at its Headingley headquarters.
Earlier this month, however, former Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale won a claim for unfair dismissal, leaving the club facing the prospect of paying out huge sums in compensation.—AP
