Colin Graves’ anticipated return as Yorkshire chairman “empowers” racists, says former participant Azeem Rafiq.
Yorkshire’s board has accepted a takeover deal from a consortium led by Graves, 75, that members will seemingly vote in favour of on 2 February.
Graves’ earlier spell was a part of the interval for which the membership was fined for failing to handle the systemic use of discriminatory or racist language.
“I am damaged,” mentioned Rafiq, who revealed experiences of racism on the membership.
“I am struggling to know how we have right here. It is a mixture of feelings – numerous anger and frustration.”
Yorkshire chief govt Stephen Vaughan instructed BBC Sport the membership needed to settle for the Graves-led supply due to its “dire monetary state of affairs” and to make sure its work on bettering equality, diversion and inclusion might proceed.
Graves, who was chair of Yorkshire between 2012 and 2015, will return to the position if his takeover is accepted.
He has beforehand denied data of any racist behaviour throughout his time on the membership however on Thursday apologised “personally and unreservedly” for the Yorkshire racism scandal.
Chatting with BBC Yorkshire, Rafiq mentioned: “I’ve woken up this morning to a barrage of abuse – racist, Islamophobic – that is what [Graves’ return] empowers.
“It empowers these idiots on the market who really feel they are often brazenly racist.”
Rafiq, who’s calling on the club’s sponsors to oppose Graves’ return, detailed allegations of racism throughout his two spells at Headingley for the primary time in 2020, resulting in investigations by the membership and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
“The abuse is extremely triggering, I’ve taken lots over the past three years and proceed to take it,” added Rafiq, who mentioned racism he confronted at Yorkshire left him “near taking my very own life”.
Rafiq mentioned he has no hope Yorkshire members will vote towards Graves’ takeover.
“Yorkshire members and Colin Graves are a match made in heaven, I hope they get pleasure from themselves,” he mentioned.
Yorkshire are in a dangerous monetary place, with money owed of £17m scheduled to be repaid by October. Final yr the county revealed it wanted to repay £14.9m to the household belief owned by Graves following a bailout in 2002.
The membership misplaced sponsors over its dealing with of the racism scandal and likewise needed to agree compensation packages with sacked employees who received claims for unfair dismissal.
Graves will advance an unsecured mortgage of £1m to Yorkshire if the takeover goes by way of and organize additional funding of as much as £4m if sure appointments to the brand new board are accepted.
Rafiq mentioned that will get Yorkshire by way of monetary difficulties within the quick time period however questioned the long run affect Graves’ return can have on cricket.
“It sends the message loud and clear to South Asians that cricket isn’t a welcoming and protected place for us,” he mentioned.
“For a very long time I noticed Yorkshire as my membership, I not do.”
Final yr, the ECB criticised Graves for suggesting some incidents of racism on the county have been “banter”.
Graves’ feedback adopted six former Yorkshire gamers being sanctioned with fines and bans by the Cricket Self-discipline Fee (CDC) after they have been discovered to have used racist language on the membership.
In his assertion, Graves, who was ECB chair from 2015 to 2020, mentioned he “profoundly” regretted that language and he understood those that regarded his feedback as “dismissive or uncaring”.
He additionally promised to proceed the equality, variety and inclusion work executed by Yorkshire in recent times, with the ECB saying “these phrases should be put into motion”.
Rafiq mentioned if Graves “genuinely cared” then he might have reached out to him “at any level over the past three years”.
“There’s acquired to be motion right here, phrases aren’t sufficient,” added Rafiq.
Yorkshire ‘given reassurances’ – Vaughan
Former chair Lord Patel, who stepped down in March final yr, oversaw in depth adjustments at Yorkshire after taking on amid the fallout from Rafiq’s allegations and widespread criticism of how the membership dealt with the case.
Chatting with BBC sports activities editor Dan Roan, Vaughan mentioned he has been “given reassurances that work will proceed at tempo” below Graves.
Yorkshire mentioned it spoke to greater than 350 potential events when looking for recent funding however the Graves-led supply was the “solely viable possibility”.
Vaughan mentioned a key motive Yorkshire opted for Graves was that different potential traders, together with Indian Premier League franchises, wished outright possession as an alternative of conserving it a members’ membership and that’s was not “within the reward of the board” to do this.
Nevertheless, Graves is known to be proposing to alter Yorkshire from a members’ membership into a personal restricted firm.
When requested if he might assure Yorkshire will stay a members’ membership, Vaughan mentioned: “I do not know what the longer term holds and you may by no means say by no means.
“The supply we have been uncovered to and the supply [the members] shall be uncovered to has no point out of demutualisation of the members.
“What Colin and his management crew do sooner or later is totally all the way down to them however there isn’t a data in any respect that that’s going to be the case.”