Yorkshire sack entire coaching staff following Azeem Rafiq racism row

Yorkshire County Cricket Club have sacked the entire coaching staff including the director Martyn Moxon and head coach Andrew Gale, following the Azeem Rafiq racism row. Lord Patel of Bradford, Yorkshire chair, deemed the changes as necessary to “move on from the past” and promote an inclusive culture in the club.

Moxon, who had been signed off from work due to a stress-related illness, and Gale, who was suspended pending a disciplinary hearing since November last year, were both at the centre of Rafiq’s racism allegation.

A statement from Yorkshire read: “We can confirm that Martyn Moxon, Director of Cricket, and Andrew Gale, First XI Coach, have left the Club today (3 December), in addition to all members of the coaching team.

“A new Director of Cricket will be appointed imminently, alongside a new coaching team which is being recruited.”

Lord Patel said: “Significant change is required at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and we are committed to taking whatever action is necessary to regain trust. 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.

“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. We are determined to learn from the mistakes of the past to become a Club, which people can trust.

“We are hoping to announce a new Director of Cricket in the coming days. We have a huge rebuilding job to do but we are confident that this heralds a step forward towards a brighter future”.

Earlier, the Yorkshire club admitted that the cricketer was a victim of racial harassment in both his stints at the club, but decided against taking any disciplinary or penal action against any of the member based on the findings of an internal investigation, which led to a massive furore.

The matter escalated enough for the British government to intervene, leading to Rafiq making submissions to the British lawmakers in the parliament where he made eye-brow raising revelations, including the use regular use of racial slurs like “P***” inside the Yorkshire dressing room. Ever since, English cricket has been severe turmoil, while it has also led to the resignations of club chief Roger Hutton and CEO Mark Arthur.