Sport

Yorkshire chairman resigns amid racism allegations

Michael Vaughan has also denied racism accusations made by Azeem Rafiq

A general view of Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s Headingley Stadium in Leeds. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Fri Nov 5 2021 - 08:24

Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton has resigned with immediate effect, as the fallout from Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegations against the club continues to grow.

Hutton was this week called to appear in front of the UK parliamentary digital, culture, media and sport committee to explain Yorkshire’s handling of Rafiq’s claims and the independent report into the matter.

He has now decided to leave his post, citing frustration at board members and senior management.

“Today I announce my resignation as chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, with immediate effect,” he said.

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“There has been a constant unwillingness from the Executive members of the Board and senior management at the Club to apologise, and to accept that there was racism, and to look forward.

“For much of my time at the Club, I experienced a culture that refuses to accept change or challenge.”

Hutton joined the Yorkshire board in 2020, almost two years after Rafiq ended his second stint at Headingley, and says he has never met the player.

Despite that he has now opted to take a share of responsibility for the county’s response to claims which have been in the public domain for more than a year and were raised through formal channels long before. He has called on the executive members of the board to follow his lead and resign.

Most recently, Yorkshire determined that no employees would face any disciplinary action despite the independent panel upholding that Rafiq had been a victim of racial harassment and bullying.

“During my time as chairman, I take responsibility for failing to persuade them to take appropriate and timely action. This frustration has been shared by all of the non-executive members of the Board, some of whom have also now resigned,” he continued.

“I now call for those executive members of the Board to resign, to make way for a new path for the club I love so much.

“When someone makes claims as serious as his, they need to be investigated and changes need to be made. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise unreservedly to Azeem.

“I am sorry that we could not persuade executive members of the Board to recognise the gravity of the situation and show care and contrition.”

Developments in the long-running case have escalated at pace this week, ever since it was revealed by ESPNCricinfo that the independent report had resolved the repeated use of the offensive term “P***” was delivered “in the spirit of friendly banter”.

Since then an exodus of sponsors and commercial partners has unfolded, while political pressure from the halls of Westminster has ramped up.

As well as the DCMS committee session, which has been set for December 16th, UK health secretary Sajid Javid said “heads should roll” at the club and a cohort of 36 Yorkshire MPs and metro mayors, including former Labour leader Ed Miliband, demanded the England and Wales Cricket Board take decisive action in its role as national governing body.

Former England batsman Gary Ballance issued a lengthy statement admitting that he was guilty of using a “racial slur” against Rafiq, during a long and deep friendship in which he claims both men said inappropriate things to each other.

Ashes-winning England captain Michael Vaughan penned a column for the Daily Telegraph on Thursday night revealing he had also been named in the independent report but denying specific allegations against him.

Vaughan confirmed that his name appears in the independent report into Rafiq’s account of racial discrimination, harassment and bullying during his tenure at Yorkshire.

The BBC pundit explained that he had been accused of saying to Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naveed before a 2009 game against Nottinghamshire: “[There are] too many of you lot, we need to do something about it.”

However, Vaughan vehemently denies the accusation. “I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words,” he said. “I have been involved in cricket for 30 years and never once been accused of any remotely similar incident or disciplinary offence as a player or commentator.

“I have nothing to hide. The ‘you lot’ comment never happened. Anyone trying to recollect words said 10 years ago will be fallible but I am adamant those words were not used.

“If Rafiq believes something was said at the time to upset him then that is what he believes. It is difficult to comment on that except to say it hurts me hugely to think I potentially affected someone. I take it as the most serious allegation ever put in front of me and I will fight to the end to prove I am not that person.”

Vaughan also defended himself against a claim from Rafiq that he suggested Yorkshire should sign the batter Kane Williamson as a T20 player because he could also bowl some off-spin.

In the report, Rafiq said: “When Michael Vaughan retired, he took up the position as advisor and would often come to YCCC giving his opinion and captain-coach options which particularly were aimed at moving me out of the team. One such recommendation was for Kane Williamson to be signed and he categorically said he bowls ‘off-spin’ really well too.

“This is ridiculous as Kane Williamson is a batsman only. This comment about him bowling ‘off-spin’ was simply made in my presence to make me feel inferior.”

Vaughan countered this assertion, adding: “I absolutely deny that I ever said what he claims and that I recommended Kane Williamson for anything other than purely cricketing reasons. But having heard what has come out in the last few days, I can see how his perspective, and his experience was clearly very different to how I saw things at Yorkshire at that time.

“I accept Yorkshire have dealt with this terribly. They will be honest enough to admit that. It is a good cricket club and it is close to my heart. I hope I can be part of the movement to rebrand the club and people will eventually look back on this time and say it changed for the better.

“The Yorkshire I love is a club that only wants to produce the best players and win games of cricket. Clearly there are issues in English cricket, spread wider than Yorkshire, about why so many young Asian players are not graduating through to the professional game.”