Former England international Gary Ballance on Wednesday admitted using aracial slur against former Yorkshire teammate Azeem Rafiq in a swirling rowthat has cost the county a host of sponsors.
Ballance said in a statement: “I regret that I used this word in immatureexchanges in my younger years.”
The 31-year-old, who played 23 Test matches for England, said: “It has beenreported that I used a racial slur and, as I told the independent enquiry,I accept that I did so and I regret doing so.
“I do not wish to discredit Rafa by repeating the words and statements thathe made about me and others but I have to be clear that this was asituation where best friends said offensive things to each other which,outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate,”Ballance said.
Ballance added that “at no time did I believe or understand that it hadcaused Rafa distress” — he said that if he had realised, “then I would havestopped immediately”.
Ballance’s admission came after publishing company Emerald ended theirassociation with Yorkshire and their Headingley stadium in Leeds over thehandling of a report that found Rafiq suffered “racial harassment andbullying” at the club.
On a troubled day for the club, local brand Yorkshire Tea followed shirtsponsor Anchor Butter in ending their partnership with Yorkshire.
Several other sponsors — including beer company Tetley’s — decided not toextend their deals.
“We do not tolerate any form of racism or discriminatory behaviour and thedamaging effects this has,” Emerald said in a statement.
“We hope YCCC will listen and respond with serious action to eradicateracism from the club and uphold the values we all expect.”
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The county offered Rafiq, 30, “profound and unreserved apologies” when thereport was published in September but last week said it would take nodisciplinary action against any staff.
The story has unleashed a wave of criticism against Yorkshire, drawing insenior British politicians and governing body the England and Wales CricketBoard (ECB).
Rafiq, Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton and the county’s chief executive anddirector of cricket have been summoned to testify before a Britishparliamentary committee on November 16.
Committee chair Julian Knight has said Yorkshire’s board should quit over“endemic racism” and called the row “one of the most repellent anddisturbing episodes in modern cricket history”.
Pakistan-born off-spinner Rafiq, who represented Yorkshire in two spellsbetween 2008 and 2018, made 43 allegations and said he had been driven tosuicidal thoughts by his treatment at the club.
Yorkshire’s redacted report upheld seven of his claims but concluded theclub was not institutionally racist.
“No one believed me, no one listened everyone tried to protect themselvesand left me all alone to fight,” Rafiq tweeted this week. “TIME FOR THEFULL TRUTH.” – APP/AFP
