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I’m still staggered that Yorkshire are still quiet - nothing from them and imo it just shows their arrogance. Hope to see them punished in the strongest possible way when this all comes out
The Cricket Thread
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Gary Ballance the first to come out and admit using the racial slur
He said: "I am aware of how hurtful the racial slur is and I regret that I used this word in immature exchanges in my younger years and I am sure Rafa feels the same about some of the things he said to me as well."
Laced with an after tone of victim blaming
He said: "I am aware of how hurtful the racial slur is and I regret that I used this word in immature exchanges in my younger years and I am sure Rafa feels the same about some of the things he said to me as well."
Laced with an after tone of victim blaming
Piece
Tour Winner
This tone is in keeping with the rest of the YCC 'apology'. ?
Yorkshire CCC; once the initial allegations were made, why wasn’t there suspensions pending the inquiry? Once a number of allegations were found to be true, why wasn’t disciplinary actions taken?
Does Yorkshire have a robust policy in place? If they have, it clearly hasn’t been followed, and if they haven’t… clear systemic failings, the responsibility lies with the mgt/board. If the board aren’t fit for purpose they should resign. What about other staff, inc. players? Sack ‘em.
Gary Balance’ s comments; for me, there’s some areas banter should never go, end of. As for the mitigation (deflection) Ballance expresses, it has no relevance. Whether Rafiq responded in kind or not, the initial comments should have never been made.
As a keen supporter of cricket and of ‘Yorkshire this is deeply shameful and there should only be one outcome, a root and branch clear out and a massive apology.
Does Yorkshire have a robust policy in place? If they have, it clearly hasn’t been followed, and if they haven’t… clear systemic failings, the responsibility lies with the mgt/board. If the board aren’t fit for purpose they should resign. What about other staff, inc. players? Sack ‘em.
Gary Balance’ s comments; for me, there’s some areas banter should never go, end of. As for the mitigation (deflection) Ballance expresses, it has no relevance. Whether Rafiq responded in kind or not, the initial comments should have never been made.
As a keen supporter of cricket and of ‘Yorkshire this is deeply shameful and there should only be one outcome, a root and branch clear out and a massive apology.
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Absolutely agree. But I do get a growing sense that nobody is going to emerge from this unscathed, and I suspect that will include Rafiq.
Grizzly
Well-known member
I think that may be the most prescient posting on the entire issue - one suspects (and for transparency, I say this as a lifelong Yorkshire supporter) that there is an awful lot of much left to be raked over in terms of the fine print of the report that will result in further litigation(s), at least one resignation and - since the precedent is there with the Ollie Robinson affair - bans, and it has to be remembered that Rafiq himself has previously served a ban for making - lets calls them ill advised comments. Indeed, it may be inevitable that this stretches beyond Yorkshire and takes in much of the rest of the county game.
In any event, root and branch clear out is about right. A sad thing for me is that there has been no focus on what is in many ways the most damning allegation, around selection policies for age group teams. From my years coaching in Middlesex, I can well believe those allegations, because exactly the same attitude appears to apply here. The game as a whole has a massive problem if it is in effect cutting off its own nose by denying opportunities to the most promising young players.
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
Indeed. Many seem to think that this sort of discrimination & these types of comments only flow in one direction, but they don't. That is said as one who has been on the receiving end of such comments.
That said, anything that Rafiq may or may not have said or done does not mitigate or absolve Yorkshire CCC's or Gary Ballance's behaviour.
The big clue for me was YCCC’s ludicrous attempt to brush this off as banter between two friends. Aside from it being anything but banter, as any right minded individual will agree, what that one statement suggests very strongly to me is that these exchanges involved individuals who were both guilty of using similar language. My suspicion has only really been endorsed by Balance’s comments, and also reports I have now read elsewhere that Rafiq used terminology based upon Balance’s Zimbabwean heritage.
If those suggestions are correct, then it may be that YCCC have taken the astonishingly naive decision to try and draw a line under the event, basing this on the assumption that any exchanges were six of one, half a dozen of the other. That totally disregards the fact that at least one party, quite possibly both, have been guilty of racism.
I may be way off the mark, but banter between friends in the context it is being reported very strongly suggests an acceptance of blame, to some extent, on both sides. What is absolutely undeniable is that the reported behaviour has absolutely no place in modern society, and the way in which the matter has been addressed to date is woefully inadequate.
Moving on to your second point, as a young man thirty years ago I played the game to a good standard, many of my contemporaries being on the books of my local county side. Even then, playing in a county with a diverse population, it was plainly obvious to all that we were the home to a number of ridiculously talented young cricketers from BAME backgrounds. The same still applies today. And yet, throughout all that time, not a single local BAME player has graced our county second XI, never mind getting near playing first class cricket. I know any number of friends and family from Yorkshire who, for decades, have been left scratching their heads as to why YCCC has never tapped into the rich vein of talent available to them in parts of West Yorkshire, for example.
If anyone doubts racism is still rife in professional football (it undeniably is), then I suspect they will be horrified if they ever started to scratch beneath the surface in county cricket.
I totally agree, and hope my comments to date do not suggest otherwise. On its most basic level, it is very much a case of two wrongs not making a right.
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
No they didn’t suggest that, your comments were perfectly clear to me. I was just making it absolutely clear that my comment didn’t absolve YCCC and Ballance of any blame whatever Rafiq may have said.
Grizzly
Well-known member
I think that's about right. If you asked me whether, on the basis of what is currently known, there was any ill intent between Ballance and Rafiq in their comments, I would have to conclude a resounding "no" - it is clear that they were friends, and the name calling on both sides was part of their banter. The concern would be why either party thought the use of such language was in any way adviseable/appropriate - that one is a real headshaker.
Grizzly
Well-known member
I would say both come out of it badly. I am not suggesting life bans should have been imposed, or anything like that, but you would have thought that some form of sanction would/should have been applied to make a clear statement along the lines of zero tolerance
Interested as to which county you grew up in? I played district level and trialled at county in Yorkshire around the same era and it was...different, but worryingly similar. Different, in that at that time the separation of the club game was so extreme that there were limited pathways, which it could be argued made it more difficult for coaches to become sighted on the best young talent, similar in that you never got the impression that said coaches were that interested in looking. If anything, where I live now in Middlesex it was worse - aside from race, class (and particular, attendance at a public school) is a massive factor, though in the last two or three years there have at least been signs of improvement.
GB72
Money List Winner
I really do not understand this whole situation. Unless the report showed racism from across the club or from some massive names then the actions just do not make sense. Surely they could see that this would not go away and it needed some dscipline of the playing staff and some reeignations at board level. Swift action like that would have been seen as appropriate. Now there is just building concern as to how damning that report is and what level of people are being named.
Grizzly
Well-known member
A feeling shared by most Yorkshire fans, I can assure you.
Commissioning the report, with an Employment Tribunal outstanding, was a mistake in the first place. They must have known when they did it that there were a lot of people they could not compel to appear, and that they may find themselves unable to publish because of the fear of legal action by those implicated, both by the report and by Rafiq's allegations. It would have been far more sensible to ask the ECB to investigate at that stage and pass the potential issues to them.
Everything from that point on was always a car crash waiting to unfold. Taking no action was not a great choice of option, but then the alternatives each had their massive issues as well - we may get some clarity when Roger Hutton is protected by Parliamentary Privilege, but to be honest I'm not expecting anything until the ET is finally heard.
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
Saw similar in the south east, played age group cricket for herts but crossed the borders into essex and middlesex for coaching and trials etc as well as playing club cricket against some of those sides
Which school you went to was a massive factor, even moreso than anything else I think! The "in joke" for a while at U15 level was that I was the only non public schoolboy in the side and my nickname was Lenny as I used my dads old kitbag which had his name on it! And I was the lucky one compared to many, there were plenty of very talented kids who couldnt get a look in because it was all but a closed shop. From what I hear its much improved these days but still has a long way to go too.....
As you say, its playing out at Yorkshire currently but will have happened to some degree in a lot of other counties and certainly in club cricket too
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
the answer is most likely in your second sentence imho
the one thing no one seems to be disagreeing on at the moment is how badly this has been handled!
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
D
Deleted member 15344
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Finally grown some balls
A good start.
A surprisingly robust statement. I particularly like the fact that YCCC is suspended from hosting major games.
Elsewhere, let’s hope the final outcome reflects the serious tone of the statement, and we aren’t eventually presented with a wishy washy half hearted attempt at appeasement. This is the ECB’s opportunity to show the sporting world, and beyond, that racism in the sport will not be tolerated.
