England and Wales Cricket Board and Yorkshire. (Photo Source: Twitter)
County club Yorkshire will be fined £500,000 and will also face points deductions in all three competitions this season following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal as per a recommendation by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Earlier this year, the county club pleaded guilty to four amended charges of bringing the game into disrepute.
Their punishment will be finalised after a Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) sanctions hearing. The fine has been broken down according to the following four charges: £100,000 for not properly managing Rafiq’s inquiry, £100,000 for destruction of data, £150,000 for not taking action in relation to racist behaviour, and £150,000 for the systemic use of racist language at the club.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, it was also suggested that a large part of the fine amounting to £350,000 would be suspended, while the rest will be paid in instalments. ECB’s lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC asserted the governing body had no aim to put Yorkshire out of business but looked to “strike a balance” in its recommendations.
The Cricket Board also proposed sporting sanctions which include a deduction of 48-72 points in the County Championship, 4-6 points in the One-Day Cup and 4-6 points in the Vitality Blast.
Yorkshire has lost several sponsors over their mishandling of the Rafiq racism case and are facing financial difficulties. The club owes almost £15 million to the family trust of the former chair, Colin Graves, and are seeking new investors.
Racism and discrimination in any form is unacceptable: Yorkshire
“Racism and discrimination in any form is unacceptable and, as a board, we have been clear on the need to take accountability for the historical cultural issues that allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged at the club. The acceptance of four amended charges brought by the CDC was part of a continued effort to acknowledge what happened in the past so we can learn and move forward,” Yorkshire said in a statement.
“In making representations to the CDC panel, we hope to achieve a reasonable sanction which takes into account our acceptance of the charges, YCCC’s current financial position and the robust work we have undertaken to build the foundations for a club which is truly inclusive and welcoming to all,” the statement further read.
Notably, the Yorkshire hearings took place on the same day that the ECB issued an apology to those who had been a victim of discrimination in the game following the publication of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report.