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Azeem Rafiq endured tears and told MPs that he “constantly” used the word “P**i” in his two spells in Yorkshire, and no leadership questioned it .
Rafik first accused the county of racial harassment and bullying in September last year, and accused them of institutional racism, and the club soon launched an investigation.
However, their handling has been severely criticized. They finally announced the summary results of the investigation in September this year. Although the investigation found that Rafik had been racially harassed and bullied “without doubt”, no individual was subject to disciplinary action.
Just make the final preparations for this morning @CommonsDCMS Listening???????????? pic.twitter.com/gX73qQi6ik
— Congressman Julian Knight (@julianknight15) November 16, 2021
Rafik told the Digital, Cultural, Media and Sports Committee on Tuesday: “I was at the club very early and I joined a locker room full of my hero Michael Vaughn, Matthew Hogard, who were from the 2005 Ashes. A member. This is just the most surreal moment for me.
“A long time ago, I and other people from Asian background… have comments such as’you will sit near the toilet’ and’elephant washing machine’. The word P*** is often used. The agency seems to have only accepted the approval of the leaders, and no one has eliminated it.”
Rafik added: “All I want to do is play cricket, play for England, realize my dream, realize my family’s dream. In my first spell, I really don’t think I am fully aware of it. What is it. I think I’m denying it.”
He said that due to deteriorating mental health, he started taking medication and left Yorkshire for the first time in 2014.
When he returned, he initially felt settled under captain Alex Lee and coach Jason Gillespie.
“Jason left in 2016, just feeling that the temperature in the room has risen,” Rafik said. “You let Andrew Gale be the coach and Gary Ballance as the captain.
“This is the first time I have started to understand what it is-I sometimes feel isolated and humiliated. I keep using the word’P***’.”
Rafik said that in the 2017 pre-season tour, Ballance racially discriminated against him.
“We were in a place, and Gary Ballance walked over and asked,’Why are you talking to him? You know he is a P***’. This happened in front of teammates. It happened in front of the coaching staff.”
Former England batsman Ballance admitted in a lengthy statement earlier this month that he used “racial slander” against Rafik. He apologized but regarded it as part of a long and deep friendship.
Rafik told the committee that this is not an accurate description of their relationship. He said that the relationship began to decline in 2013 and became toxic in 2017.
When the chairman Julian Knight asked about the word “Kevin”, he said it was an offensive and racist word, reaching the highest level of the game.
“Kevin is a very derogatory thing Gary used to describe any person of color. This is an open secret in England’s dressing room,” he said.
“Anyone who meets Gary will know that this is a phrase he used to describe people of color.”
Rafik also claimed that former England batsman Alex Hales was also involved.
He said: “When Gary and Alex Hales played together for England, their relationship was very close. I didn’t show up in that locker room, but I understand (yes) Alex continued to give His dog was named “Kevin” because it was black. What a disgusting joke.”
Muslim Rafik also described his painful experience of drinking for the first time when he was 15 years old.
“I was nailed at the local cricket club, and the red wine poured in my throat, almost in my throat,” he said.
“The players played for Yorkshire and Hampshire. I (at the time) didn’t come into contact with alcohol until around 2012. Around that time, I felt I had to do this to get used to it.
“I am not perfect, and there are things I feel I have to do to realize my dreams. I deeply regret this, but it has nothing to do with racism.
“When I speak, I should be listened to. The whole game has a problem, and that is listening to the voice of the victim. Racism does not have a “yes, but”; racism does not have’two sides’.”
Rafik said that Yorkshire’s problems are recurring “all over the country.”
When asked about the fact that others, such as former Essex and Northamptonshire player Morris Chambers, have now expressed their views, Rafik said: “I want to see it as progress, and people feel they can stand up. And out, they will be heard and not only discredited, discredited, and informed.”
He described the England and Wales Cricket Committee’s initiative on diversity as “tick” exercises and “symbolism.”
He said that former England coach David Lloyd had talked about Rafic’s drinking problem.
He added: “He was a coach and commentator for the England team and I found this disturbing because it is said that Sky is doing this amazing job to bring racism to the front line. Within a week of my speaking out, this It’s what I received and I thought, “Oh my God, there are some hidden racists, I need to do something”.”
Rafik added: “I think I have four or five months left on my contract. I am encouraged to sign a confidential form and take away packages that I refuse.
“At that time, it was a lot of money for me. I think my wife is struggling. I know I am struggling. I can’t even think about letting myself go through this trauma mentally. I really went abroad. . I went to Pakistan. I never wanted to come back.”
When asked how he plucked up the courage to come forward, Rafik added: “I accepted an interview about my new business. I was asked a question. I was emotional. I said it all.
“Even at that time, I really thought that some of these people might still have some humanity left. But no. They thought,’He didn’t talk about Yorkshire’. It was all about “defamation, slander, slander.” I don’t know how I did it. The past 14 months have been very difficult.”
After the committee rested, Rafik became visibly emotional. Rafik said he found that England captain Joe Root said that he had never witnessed anything racist in Yorkshire as “sad”.
“Ruti is a good person. He never uses racist language,” Rafic said.
“I think it hurts people because Rooty is Gary (Ballance)’s roommate and participates in a lot of social activities. I am called’P***’.
“It shows that even a good person like him can’t see how normal it is in its nature. It won’t affect Joe, but it’s something I remember every day.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan mentioned Rafik’s statement in the independent report, but he strongly denied the accusation he told four Asian teammates: “(Your) is too much, we need to do something.”
Rafiq, Adil Rashid and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan all said they remembered these words, and the fourth player Ajmal Shahzad said he did not remember any racism in the club.
When asked about Vaughan, Rafik said: “Michael may not remember… the three of us, Adil, myself and Lana remember.
“He obviously has a snippet of my statement. He used his platform on the Daily Telegraph to tell everyone that he hadn’t said these things. Continue to take out a snippet of my statement to talk about other things, I think it is Totally wrong.
“He may not remember, because it doesn’t make any sense to him.”
Rafik said that Yorkshire’s investigation of his allegations was “far from independent”.
He said that during the on-site investigation, team members were welcomed by the county in the Headingley test competition.
“It just shows the arrogance of these people,” he said.
Rafik criticized the European Central Bank and Professional Cricket Association (PCA) for handling his situation.
He said: “When George Dobell published (his first) article (September 2020), I received a call from Tom Harrison (CEO of the European Central Bank). I think he They were listening, but then they took the position that they would believe that Yorkshire would do the right thing, and then the regulator would step in to hold Yorkshire accountable.
“It is difficult for me to get through this winter. I have been pleading with the European Central Bank and PCA, and I have been telling them,’They (Yorkshire) did not do the right thing. This will eventually lead to car accidents for everyone.’
“Until Monday (November 2) this article broke on Cricinfo, no one was willing to do that, when the European Central Bank stepped in.
“From a human point of view, I feel that if someone tells me they are suicidal and they call you and say’please help’, I will forget my physique and help someone. There are some real dark moments in winter.
“I don’t think they do it because they worry about me or worry about me. I think they do it to prevent me from committing suicide.”
Rafik described the PCA as “extremely incompetent” and added: “An organization that should have supported me leaves me alone.”
Rafik said that Matthew Hogard apologized to him after seeing him talk about his experience in Yorkshire in an interview.
He said: “I received a call from Matthew and he just said,’Look, I didn’t realize, I’m really sorry. If some of the comments I make make you feel the way you describe, I just want to apologize .
“You know, when someone does this, I say,’Thank you, I really appreciate it’.”
When asked about other cases of racism he had personally heard of outside of Yorkshire, Rafik said: “I received a message from someone who played in Leicestershire, a man who played in Middlesex. , And information about people playing in Nottinghamshire. Morris Chambers talked about Essex yesterday.
“I have received news from many people.
“Some people are still very afraid to talk about it. Some people still say,’Is this racism? I don’t know.’ What happens again is that the word’P***’ is used a lot.”
Rafik said he hopes to be the “speaker of the silent.”
“My dream, I didn’t realize it,” he said. “With the statistics and information around 2017, I have the ability to reach the top, and these experiences have brought me pressure.
“Some of the things that hurt me the most are PCAs, and I think they will be in my corner, as well as certain members of the South Asian community.
“Now I am brave or stupid. No matter what you call it, stand up and hold it accountable. I want to try to help those young guys who want to realize their dreams better prepare.
“But I hope we can really make the organization change so they don’t have to change.”
Speaking of the Independent Cricket Equity Committee chaired by Cindy Butts, Rafik added: “There is a need and a need to take action now.
“To be honest, we are tired of these equity commissions and investigations. We are sick and tired.
“All we ask for is equality, no matter what our skin color or our religion, we are treated fairly. It’s just respect as a human being.
“It’s 2021, and we shouldn’t even have this kind of dialogue.”
Rafik said he was “shocked” when Yorkshire announced that no one would face disciplinary action because of his experience at the club.
“I thought,’When will these people read the room and realize what they are doing?’. When the investigation was real-time and they knew of the charges against Gary (Ballance), he was appointed captain and received a copy of Three-year contract.
“(Former chairman) Roger (Hutton) went to the members forum and told people that this does not involve anyone in the club. I think even two weeks ago they really thought they could hide this.
“I think they have no choice. I don’t think (former CEO) Mark (Arthur) thinks he did anything wrong. I don’t think (Cricket Director) Martyn (Moxon) thinks he is wrong. Michael (Vaughan) ) Seems to have taken the same position as the club-deny, deny, deny.”
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