Former Yorkshire CCC cricketer Azeem Rafiq opens legal action over alleged racism

AZEEM RAFIQ has filed a legal claim against Yorkshire in an escalation of his dispute with the club, alleging racist treatment.
Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comFormer Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

The former England age-group captain is now seeking financial damages “for the harm and detriment” he says that he suffered and a declaration that the club acted “unlawfully” in its treatment of him.

It comes amid a separate, ongoing investigation into Rafiq’s claims that he suffered racism while playing for the club between 2008 and 2018 and his wider allegation that the club is institutionally racist.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Although that independent investigation is not expected to report its findings until early next year, a press release issued on behalf of the 29-year-old yesterday contained the following quotes attributed to Rafiq’s MP, Dan Jarvis, who represents Barnsley Central.

Jarvis was quoted: “It is simply appalling that professional cricketers have suffered disgraceful racist abuse and discrimination in the workplace. Azeem Rafiq has been brave in speaking out and he has my support. I’m sure that Yorkshire County Cricket Club will want to engage constructively with Azeem and his legal team to resolve this matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

“I hope that all clubs – from county cricket to the grassroots – will now play their full part in supporting the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) reforms to eradicate the scourge of racism from cricket.”

In a statement, Yorkshire reiterated their previous position, saying: “Racism has no place in our society or in our sport. We have taken the allegations made extremely seriously, launching a thorough, independent investigation and now await the results and recommendations from this early next year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“This is an important investigation for the club and a distressing time for all involved, but with this process underway and the investigation team currently conducting interviews, it would be inappropriate for us to go into further detail on any ongoing legal matters at this stage.”

Rafiq’s claim, filed under the Equality Act, has gone to Leeds Employment Tribunal and also makes recommendations to “ensure that changes are brought about at the club to ensure it doesn’t happen again” and alleges “direct discrimination and harrassment on the grounds of race, as well as victimisation and detriment as a result of his (Rafiq’s) efforts to address racism at the club”.

Although parts of the claim are outside what is described as “the primary time limit”, Rafiq argues it is “just and equitable for time to be extended given the public interest involved”.

He said he was unable to bring the claim before now because of such factors as “the time it took to recover from severe mental health issues suffered as a result of discrimination faced at the club”; “the financial difficulty suffered after being released by the club”, which made him “unable until very recently to engage legal professionals”, and “the concern about retaliation and/or career damage as a result of bringing the claim”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rafiq said “it was only after the Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements” that he felt he had to speak out “in order for concerns about institutional racism to be properly addressed”.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click HERE to subscribe.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.