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*Official* Yorkshire CCC racism crisis thread

ImpatientLime

International Regular
anyway Yorkshire have found their man to throw under the bus and they can now pretend it was him and only him and carry on as if nothing ever happened.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
This from Mihir Bose. Astonishing.


Recently, while researching my book, The Impossible Dream, Rafiq told me how for about two years some of his Yorkshire teammates had called him “Rafa the kafir”. For Rafiq, a practising Muslim who has been to Mecca for hajj – the pilgrimage all Muslims are meant to do once in their lifetime – that meant he was an unbeliever and is a devastating charge. He was puzzled because none of the people calling him “kafir” were Muslims or knew anything about Islam.

What he did not know was they were using the word “kaffir” – not the Islamic “kafir”, but the term used in apartheid-era South Africa to denigrate black and brown people. Rafiq only discovered this when Yorkshire later held an investigation into his allegations that he had suffered racism.
 

kevinw

State Captain
I also noticed Ballance's 'apology' made reference to him and 'Rafa' going out drinking a lot (e.g. he's a bad Muslim!)
 

slippy888

International Captain
Ruined Rafiq life, where does ballance go from here he play for a massive team in yorkshire surely he needs to get sacked.
 

Aritro

International Regular
This whole thing has been car crash reading (and familiar in some pretty triggering ways tbh).

Has Adil Rashid had much to say ? Would be keen to hear more from their other contemporary Asian players.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Ruined Rafiq life, where does ballance go from here he play for a massive team in yorkshire surely he needs to get sacked.
Not sure I agree with this. According to Ballance, they were very close and in such a context there are definitely words spoken in banter that one normally wouldn't in public or with someone who one did not know well.
 

Daemon

Request Your Custom Title Now!
and familiar in some pretty triggering ways tbh
This.

I think the response from Yorkshire has been arguably worse than any racist comments Ballance made. Rightly or wrongly, it's always easier to brush it off when it's from your friends. In your head you genuinely believe that if you were to ever face 'real' racism, the system, be it a school, workplace, team, etc would firmly be in your corner.

For them to turn their backs on him must be absolutely crushing for Rafiq.

I've written about my own experiences before so I probably won't do it again, but for me it's the slow realisation that you've been looked at differently all along that just makes you feel a whole range of emotions from anger, sadness and even embarrassment. It's when you realise just how much of an impact the subtler forms of racism have on a person.
 

mackembhoy

International Regular
Shouldn't be made the scapegoat here.

Deserves plenty of stick and no sympathy.

But there's people above in the Yorkshire set up who are the bigger villains here.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Yeah.. there are excuses for individuals at times but as an organization, you have to do better. I mean, even the committee had 3 south Asians in it, if I am not wrong and yet they did not even want to make the report public. Just sounds like Yorkshire are run by Fox News or something. :(
 

mackembhoy

International Regular
I also noticed Ballance's 'apology' made reference to him and 'Rafa' going out drinking a lot (e.g. he's a bad Muslim!)
Rafiq has already spoken about how he drank to fit in.

That's what racism/bullying can do to a person.

Ballance statement was pathetic.
 

Aritro

International Regular
This from Mihir Bose. Astonishing.


Recently, while researching my book, The Impossible Dream, Rafiq told me how for about two years some of his Yorkshire teammates had called him “Rafa the kafir”. For Rafiq, a practising Muslim who has been to Mecca for hajj – the pilgrimage all Muslims are meant to do once in their lifetime – that meant he was an unbeliever and is a devastating charge. He was puzzled because none of the people calling him “kafir” were Muslims or knew anything about Islam.

What he did not know was they were using the word “kaffir” – not the Islamic “kafir”, but the term used in apartheid-era South Africa to denigrate black and brown people. Rafiq only discovered this when Yorkshire later held an investigation into his allegations that he had suffered racism.
Ooft ****ing hell.
 

kevinw

State Captain
Hopefully Gale and Moxon are hauled over the coals for this. They've presided over a dreadful team culture. Gale has form for racism that is widely known.
 

Starfighter

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
See yorkshire has been suspended from hosting any mayor games.

Yorkshire suspended from hosting international cricket
If this doesn't bring in any changes then the only thing that would be a complete ban. Seriously though, they can go get ****ed. They've handled this with nothing but undisguised contempt.
 

Spikey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
My reading of that is that they could still host international cricket if the cultural is improved. I feel like Yorkshire should straight up be banned from hosting for a year because of the delay in handing the ECB the report regardless of who gets fired in the next few months.

and then sure, after the year ban, have it be a suspension that can be lifted
 

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