Fri 05 November 2021:
Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton has resigned following Azeem Rafiq’s charges of racism against the English cricket club.
“Today I announce my resignation as chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, with immediate effect,” Hutton said on Friday.
“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.”
His resignation came before an emergency board meeting on Friday at which Hutton was expected to face calls to quit. More resignations are expected and Hutton says “some” non-executive board members have already left their posts.
Yorkshire was barred from hosting international matches on Thursday as a result of its handling of the racist issue that has rocked the sport.
The England and Wales Cricket Board slammed the club for its “wholly unacceptable” response to the racism faced by former player Rafiq.
A number of Yorkshire’s sponsors have abandoned the club, and the ECB has stated that the case “is causing serious damage to the reputation of the game”.
“The ECB find this matter abhorrent and against the spirit of cricket and its values,” the governing body said in a statement.
Despite a report finding that Rafiq – one of Yorkshire’s former captain – was the victim of racial harassment and abuse, Yorkshire declared last month that it would not take any disciplinary action against any of its personnel, players, or officials.
in interviews last year Rafiq, a former England under-19 captain, said that he was made to feel like a “outsider” as a Muslim during his time at Yorkshire from 2008 to 2018, and that he was on the verge of committing suicide.
Yorkshire commissioned a formal independent investigation into more than 40 accusations made by Rafiq, with seven of them upheld in a report issued last month.
On Thursday Yorkshire were suspended from hosting England matches by the ECB.
Still receiving abuse for speaking out in Yorkshire racism case
Azeem Rafiq has revealed he is still receiving abuse for speaking out about the racism and bullying he suffered over two spells at Yorkshire and said: “We wonder why people don’t come forward.”
He tweeted on Thursday: “We wonder why people don’t come forward. Even after everything that is out there, there seems to be personal attacks coming. What a sad state of affairs.”
The former England captain Nasser Hussain fears Yorkshire’s handling of Rafiq’s racism claims will send a message to players in their academy that racial discrimination can be passed off as banter.
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