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The governing body of English Cricket will create an anti-discrimination unit and review the locker room culture in response to the latest revelations about the racism of sport.
The England and Wales Cricket Commission on Friday released its full plan to tackle the problems posed by Azeem Rafiq, who testified at a parliamentary hearing on the racism he suffered while playing in Yorkshire.
“We need to accept that cricket is really‘ connecting communities and improving lives ’- a goal expressed to the ECB – that not enough has been done to improve our game, both within our walls and in the wider game,” the ECB chief said. Executive Tom Harrison said in the announcement.
“That is the only possible reaction to the strong testimony of Azeem Rafiq and others in recent weeks,” he added.
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Rafiq, the former England Under-19 captain, testified in tears that he was playing in Yorkshis about his experiences of racism and harassment, the most successful cricket club in England.
His complaints reached the British Parliament after Yorkshir’s report on his allegations dismissed some of the abuse as a “friendly joke” and led to his immediate departure from the club hierarchy.
The ECB’s plan, which had contributions from all levels of English cricket, includes taking a standardized approach to “reporting, investigating and responding to complaints, allegations and allegations throughout the game”.
“A comprehensive review of locker room culture will be conducted in all professional teams of men and women, both internationally and internationally,” and a redesigned training program for players and coaches will be conducted to address gaps identified in the study.
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The plan commits £ 25 million ($ 33.3 million) over five years to support actions to improve equality, diversity and inclusion.
The aim will be to improve the diversity of committee rooms, as well as to help people from multiple backgrounds progress in professional teams through scouting and “support programs aimed at players from multiple backgrounds or the needy.”
Crowd behavior will also receive a “full-scale review” ahead of the 2022 season.
“As the ECB, our role will be to accept the changes that need to be made internally, as well as provide support, resources and funding to help the game make those changes,” Harrison said.
Rafiq stated that his Yorkshire teammates used an offensive term that referred to his Pakistani heritage and that his leadership, which had won 33 times in the English county championship, had not acted against racism.
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Rafiq said he felt “sometimes isolated, humiliated” by his treatment of Yorkshi on two occasions from 2008 to 2018 at the club.
The ECB then suspended Yorkshir from organizing international matches because of Rafiq’s “completely unacceptable” response to the racism he suffered, while Nike equipment supplier ended its sponsorship.
Rafiq’s accusations led to similar complaints from other players and revealed other historical cases.
Two former Essex players recently said they had been subjected to anti-racial abuse at the club, and their president resigned over the use of racist language at a board meeting four years ago.
A few days after the parliamentary hearing, Rafiq himself apologized after admitting to sending anti-Semitic messages 10 years ago.
One week ago, cricketer Alex Hales apologized after posting a photo showing a black face portraying Tupac Shakur at a 2009 party.
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