Azeem Rafiq issues statement after Yorkshire settle employment tribunal

Azeem Rafiq has released a statement after settling his employment tribunal with Yorkshire, and has hit out at those “who consistently failed to take responsibility” for racism at the club

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Azeem Rafiq has issued a heartfelt statement after settling his employment tribunal with Yorkshire.

Rafiq, 30, was found to be a victim of “racial harassment and bullying” at Yorkshire following an investigation into claims made by the all-rounder, only for the club to declare no-one would be disciplined.

The announcement prompted outrage and led to the departure of Chairman Roger Hutton, and on Monday his replacement, Lord Kamlesh Patel, apologised publicly to Rafiq and confirmed a settlement had been reached. The new agreement is void of a non-disclosure clause, which the former player had previously been asked to adhere to.”

Now Rafiq, who had two spells at the club, has hit out at key figures he said “consistently failed to take responsibility for what happened on their watch.”

He also expressed his gratitude to Lord Patel for acting decisively.

“I want to thank my family, the public, politicians, the media and the many players and coaches who have supported me both publicly and privately.

“You have given me strength to get through the bad times, of which there have been too many since I first spoke about my experiences,” said Rafiq.

“I also want to thank Lord Patel for making the offer and sorting this out within 72 hours of his appointment.

“It should not have taken the rest of the club a year to realise I would not be silenced through an NDA.”

Rafiq has previously called for Yorkshire’s chief executive Mark Arthur and director of cricket Martyn Moxon to step down from their roles, given that both were working at the club during the time he was subjected to “racial harassment.”

In a statement in early October on Rafiq’s behalf, it read: “Several of the allegations by Azeem and others relate directly to the conduct of both Moxon and Arthur during their stewardship of the club.

“Both were at Yorkshire throughout Azeem’s second spell and at least part of the first – Moxon from 2007 and Arthur from 2013.

“In August 2018, when Azeem Rafiq raised concerns of racism there was a failure by the Club to follow its own policy or investigate these allegations.

“On a number of occasions prior to 2018 the Club could have done more to make Muslims more welcome within their stadiums and should have dealt better with complaints of racist or antisocial behaviour within those stadiums.

“These are extremely serious admissions. Given these failures happened under the watch of Arthur and Moxon, why are they still employed by the club?”

And in his statement on Monday evening, he reiterated that stance, saying the pair, and others, were “part of the problem.”

“They have consistently failed to take responsibility for what happened on their watch and must go. I urge them to do the right thing and resign to make way for those who will do what is needed for the club’s future,” he said.

Rafiq added he brought a legal claim because the club “refused to acknowledge the problem and create change,” and vowed to continue to fight for what he believes in.

“I will continue to campaign against institutional racism and look forward to speaking at the select committee hearing next week. I urge others who have suffered to come forward. There is strength in numbers and I will be right behind you.

Rafiq finished off by saying he would be taking a few days to recover from an “exhausting time” ahead of appearing at a select committee hearing next Tuesday.