Yorkshire County Cricket Membership have been slapped with an enormous 48-point deduction within the English County Championship on Friday after admitting 4 prices associated to the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.
Pakistan-born bowler Rafiq, 32, went public with allegations of racism and bullying in September 2020, associated to his two spells on the English county.
The unbiased Cricket Self-discipline Fee (CDC) additionally fined the membership 400,000 kilos ($514,000), 300,000 of which is suspended for 2 years.
The factors penalty sends Yorkshire to the underside of Division Two of the County Championship.
The Yorkshire board issued a press release accepting the sanctions.
“The CDC and ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) have today acknowledged the vast amount of work done by YCCC to overcome the cultural issues that existed within the club, which allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged,” it mentioned.
“We are accountable for these issues, and we accepted four amended charges as part of a continued commitment to ensure we are able to move forward.”
However the Yorkshire board added: “We are disappointed to receive the point deductions which affects players and staff at the club, who were not responsible for the situation.”
ECB chief govt Richard Gould, who was not in put up through the Rafiq scandal, mentioned: “There could be no place for racism in our recreation, and the penalties introduced by the Cricket Self-discipline Fee mark the top of a radical disciplinary course of.
“No one should have to experience what Azeem Rafiq went through in cricket, and we once again thank him for his courage in speaking out.”
Six former Yorkshire gamers have been beforehand fined by the CDC after being discovered responsible of utilizing racist language.
Individually, a damning report by the Impartial Fee for Fairness in Cricket (ICEC) final month revealed “widespread” racism, sexism and classism in English cricket.
The ICEC was established in 2021 following the racism scandal surrounding the remedy of Rafiq.
