The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has finally announced their decision on penalizing the Yorkshire team members accused in the Azeem Rafiq racism case. As the result of a prolonged investigation, ECB has recommended a fine and a temporary suspension for all the involved athletes. The ECB suggested a £8,000 fine for Yorkshire team management member Gary Ballance. For the other five cricketers who were involved, a combination of fine and suspension has been proposed. The five veteran cricketers accused in the incident are Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, John Blain, and Richard Pyrah.
- Hoggard and Pyrah will be fined £7,500 each
- Bresnan and Blain will be fined £5,000 each
- Pyrah will be fined £4,500
Andrew Gale will receive two weeks suspension on returning back to his coaching duties
The Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) has solely been responsible for investigating the issue and recommending the penalties. Apart from the aforementioned fines, CDC has also reprimanded all the aforementioned players to take part in racism and discrimination courses. Andrew Gale will likely be handed over a four-week suspension upon his return as a coach with the ECB.
Ace cricketer Azeem Rafiq had raised allegations against the Yorkshire team members for demeaning racist language in 2008. Charges were framed against the accused and it covered a long period from 2008-2018. The CDC was appointed to look into the issue and it finally announced the decision after a five-day trial that started at the start of this month.
Previously, the CDC had cleared former English skipper Michael Vaughan of all the racism charges that were framed against him back in 2009. However, the others were held guilty of bringing the game into disrepute through the use of racist language.
The CDC panel will now hold deliberate discussions over the sanctions and suspensions. The official announcement will likely be made soon in consultation with the ECB. The Yorkshire County Club is also facing severe backlash for the unfortunate incident and the CDC is likely to pronounce a decision against the same on June 27.
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