Entire Yorkshire cricket coaching staff leave club after racism scandal: team

Yorkshire County Cricket Club's director of cricket Martyn Moxon and head coach Andrew Gale have left the county along with the entire coaching staff, the club announced on Friday as it grapples with the fallout from a racism scandal that saw ex-spin blower Azeem Rafiq testify in Parliament.

Gale was suspended last month as part of a probe into an alleged antisemitic tweet he sent in 2010 while Moxon had been absent from work due to a "stress-related illness".

"We can confirm that Martyn Moxon, director of cricket, and Andrew Gale, first XI coach, have left the club today in addition to all members of the coaching team," a Yorkshire statement said.

The departures follow allegations made by former player Azeem Rafiq, who is of Pakistani descent and is a former captain of the England Under-19s.

Rafiq said he had received racist abuse and was made to feel like an outsider at Yorkshire and that he had even contemplated suicide.

The scandal has shaken English sport, cost Yorkshire sponsors and the right to host England internationals, and embroiled some of the biggest names in English cricket.

Yorkshire, whose chief executive Mark Arthur resigned last month, said in a statement a new director of cricket will be appointed imminently and a new coaching team was being recruited.

The backroom medical team, provided by an outside clinic, had also left.

Yorkshire Cricket Club faced backlash after a report into racism at the club described the use of the P-slur against former captain Azeem Rafiq as simply "banter".
For some this may be shocking, but for others, like @AliaWaheed, it is unsurprising: https://t.co/ZnQU0WCKNx

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 16, 2021

"Significant change is required at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and we are committed to taking whatever action is necessary to regain trust," said new chairman Kamlesh Patel.

"The decisions announced today were difficult to make, but are in the best interests of the club. Without making important changes to how we are run, we cannot move on from the past to become a culture which is progressive and inclusive."

Patel said the club had a "huge rebuilding job to do" and was determined to learn from the mistakes made.

"We want to make Yorkshire County Cricket Club a place for everyone, from all backgrounds. To do this, we need to rebuild our culture and instil positive values in everyone associated with Yorkshire," he added.

(Reuters, AFP)