LAWRENCE BOOTH: Azeem Rafiq case such a shocking whitewash from tone-deaf Yorkshire
Daily MailDecades from now, brand consultants will still be using Yorkshire’s handling of the Azeem Rafiq affair as a case study in how not to convey your message to the world. The statement put out on Thursday struck a note so tone-deaf, it was unclear if anyone had noticed the latest twist in cricket’s ongoing debate about racial politics, with South African Quinton de Kock apologising for refusing to take a knee at the Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE. This is a sensitive moment in the sport’s attempts to better itself, yet Yorkshire sounded almost self congratulatory as they concluded no one at Headingley would face disciplinary action for an episode that has brought shame on English cricket. Yorkshire will take no disciplinary action after an independent report into racism allegations made by Azeem Rafiq The report found there was insufficient evidence to conclude the club was institutionally racist Don’t forget that their reluctance to make the report into the affair public prompted a senior MP, Julian Knight, to contact Yorkshire chief executive Mark Arthur.