Azeem Rafiq and Gary Ballance are currently involved in a scandal related to racism. Follow the details about what happened.
Azeem Rafiq is an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Gary Ballance is a fellow cricketer who is currently in the same club.
Azeem, however, has already left the club. He revealed about racism, harassment and bullying during his time in the club. He has listed some of the names who were racist towards him.
One of those names is Gary Ballance. And, the player has admitted that he used racist slurs against Rafiq.
What Happened Between Azeem Rafiq and Gary Ballance?
Azeem Rafiq has accused Gary Ballance of using racist slurs against him. The accused has admitted the mistake. He apologized for his mistake in a statement.
He said that both of them became good friends when they joined the club at the same time. Thus, they used to share or say things that they should not.
Azeem Rafiq tells cricket racism hearing of ‘inhuman’ treatment by Yorkshire – live https://t.co/s6UE8A4EI7
— West Lothian Community RACE Forum (@race_west) November 16, 2021
However, he mentioned that he was not aware that it had caused distress to Azeem. He was considering it as a normal offensive exchange between best friends.
He also added that if he was aware of it then he would have stopped immediately. He also said that he deeply cared about him as he was the best mate in cricket for him.
Azeem Rafiq and Garry Ballance Racism Scandal Explained
Azeem Rafiq and Garry Ballance are involved in a racism scandal at present. Garry has addressed the issue and admitted that he had used racial slurs against his former teammate.
However, he also mentioned that he took it as a friendly verbal attack and had no idea that it was offensive to Rafiq. Thus, the club has also cleared him of the wrongdoings.
Azeem Rafiq This shames #Yorkshire
For decades people from Black, Irish, West Indian, African, Muslim, Pakistani, Indian, Sikh, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan heritage have been abused, attacked humiliated by racists @mrjamesob 1/2— Saltley Gates (@SaltleyGates) November 16, 2021
The scandal has impacted the club severely and many people are resigning from the club following the investigation. Many sponsors have also pulled out their investment and the club is currently restricted to holding any international matches.
Learn About Azeem Rafiq Wife And Son
Azeem Rafiq’s wife is Faryal Zaheer. However, there is no personal information about his son.
Furthermore, the couple has lost an unborn child in 2017 but the cricketer said that the response from the club during that tough times still makes his heartache.
He also said that he would never allow his son to go near cricket because of his experiences, he told The Guardian.