Congressman Julian Knight, who chaired the DCMS Chairmanship Committee where Azeem Rafiq gave testimony on Monday, believes the sport needs an organization like Kick It Out to address racism and discrimination in sport; Knight calls for a “transparent and clean” sport
Cricket would benefit from a Kick It Out-style organization in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, according to DCMS Committee Chairman Julian Knight, MP.
Knight presided over Monday’s hearing when Rafiq gave emotional testimony in which the former Yorkshire player spoke of his ordeal at the county club.
Former Yorkshire President Roger Hutton and his replacement Lord Patel also answered questions, and MPs also questioned members of the Cricket Board of England and Wales (ECB) about their role in the investigations after Rafiq alleged that he was racially harassed and bullied during two stints at the club.
Rafiq’s testimony sparked responses from various county clubs, as well as Tim Bresnan and David Lloyd, and as the fallout continues, Knight believes the sport needs an organization like Kick It Out, which addresses racism and discrimination in the game. soccer.
“I feel like I was complacent. I didn’t think that [cricket] it was systematically racist, “Knight said. Sky Sports News On Wednesday. “Clearly there was a serious problem in Yorkshire, and there may be cases elsewhere, but we cannot leave anything off the table.
“We need a ‘Kick It Out’ for cricket, just like football. The idea that we can make people use these phrases, harassing, intimidating, excluding people like Rafiq. It is almost incomprehensible.
“But we have to understand that and make sure that in the future we have a sport that is transparent and clean. That means, in my opinion, a complete reform of governance.”
“It is not a quick fix, it is more ingrained than I thought when I started this research a few months ago.
“We need to make sure the ECB has the powers to take over the counties so that what we have seen in Yorkshire is not repeated.
“Racism has been exacerbated by the report and the way Yorkshire carried out the investigation, which in my opinion appeared to be a means of keeping Mr Rafiq quiet and out of the public domain. A parliamentary session was needed to guarantee that the absolute horrors after several years, Mr. Rafiq was able to tell the truth. “
Knight led the questioning on Monday when Rafiq provided evidence with parliamentary privilege, and the former Yorkshire player fought back tears when he told MPs that the word ‘P ***’ was “constantly used” in his two spells at the club. .
Rafiq, who is Muslim, also described his heartbreaking first experience with alcohol at the age of 15, saying that he had been swallowed a bottle of red wine.
Knight added: “I think the thing that struck the most among the many horrible cases Mr. Rafiq has suffered is probably holding himself back as a 15-year-old boy and pouring a bottle of wine down his neck.
“I contrasted this abuse of a child, actually, with the England players asking Moeen Ali to walk away during a champagne celebration so they wouldn’t spray him, which was celebrated as a moment of this inclusion.
“We need to make sure that the sport in the future is cleaned from top to bottom, because we cannot see a great sport ruined in this way.”
Knight said the committee will consider its next steps, but potential names that could be asked will not be chosen to face questions in the future.
The Conservative deputy also referred to the Select Committee’s lack of diversity in Monday’s hearing.
He said: ‘I found it quite strange because these people are elected by MPs. I have no option to preside over who is actually on the panel. That is a broader concept of whether or not you believe that the UK parliament is diverse enough, and I think it is a problem for the entire parliament rather than for the commission.
“I understand why people find that disjointed, I think there were seven men and two women on the panel, although one of our members was at home with Covid. They are elected by the entire Chamber, in effect that is a democracy. That is a problem with democracy more broadly than with the committee itself.
“We cannot have a more diverse panel because there is no one from other backgrounds to be elected to that committee. We cannot just invite people who were not elected to the panel. It is a question of whether you think the House of Commons is the thing. Diverse enough, it is not as representative, although it has improved in recent times, as it should be.
“I can understand why people would be uneasy, but this is an issue that affects the entire parliament.”
