Yorkshire Penalized Heavily Over Racism Scandal By The Cricket Discipline Commission

Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been heavily penalized by the Cricket Discipline Commission over the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal. They have been fined £400,000 and also have been docked 48 points in the County Championship. 

Apart from this Yorkshire has been deducted four points in the T20 Blast. The fine of 48 points takes them to the bottom of the County Championship Division Two. They now have 14 days to either accept the sanctions or appeal. 

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Azeem Rafiq and three other Yorkshire players were at the receiving end of racism by some players, which included England national team players in Tim Bresnan and Matthew Hoggard along with Michael Vaughan, who later got a clear chit in this case.  

Azeem Rafiq revealed about the incident three years ago, which wreaked massive havoc in English cricket. His revelations saw the dismissals of head coach Andrew Gale, director of cricket Martyn Moxon and other staff members at the Yorkshire. 

Releasing the official statement, Yorkshire accepted the sanctions and stated: “We accept the sanctions against Yorkshire County Cricket Club imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission. Following representations by the Board at last month’s hearing, the CDC and ECB have today acknowledged the vast amount of work done by YCCC to overcome the cultural issues that existed within the Club, which allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged. We are accountable for these issues, and we accepted four amended charges as part of a continued commitment to ensure we are able to move forward.”

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We are disappointed to receive the points deductions – Yorkshire County Club 

Yorkshire further stated that they are disappointed with 48 points deductions as it will affect the players and staff, who were not involved in the scandal. They demanded clarity, saying that ECB should ensure that their financial penalty does not hinder foundations. The statement read: 

“We are disappointed to receive the points deductions which affects players and staff at the Club, who were not responsible for the situation. They have worked tirelessly on and off the field to rebuild Yorkshire into an inclusive and welcoming Club that reflects the communities it serves. Greater clarity over our situation will allow us all now to look ahead. 

“We look forward to continued dialogue with the ECB to ensure the financial penalty does not hinder our ongoing commitment to build on the strong foundations that have been laid. We remain focused on efforts to secure YCCC’s sustainability, ensuring the stability required to create a brighter future for all associated with Yorkshire Cricket.”

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