Azeem Rafiq steps up attack on Yorkshire CCC in increasingly toxic takeover row

Reacting on the social media platform ‘X’ to a statement issued by Yorkshire on Monday, Rafiq – the central figure in cricket’s racism crisis – described it as “more lies”.

The club statement read: “Yorkshire County Cricket Club and agents acting on our behalf have met with over 350 interested parties to work through the validity of each and every genuine offer to refinance the club.

“No stone has been left unturned and a thorough and rigorous process has been conducted by the board to ensure the club stays operational for the benefit of its members, creditors and employees. We refute any assertion to the contrary.”

Yorkshire declined to respond directly to Rafiq’s remarks after he earlier launched a scathing attack in the Observer, describing as “ridiculous” the idea that they couldn’t have gone elsewhere.

The 32-year-old called in that piece on the club’s sponsors to pull out – naming several in the process – and asked: “Is it acceptable to describe racism as banter?”

That was in response to a television interview last summer in which Graves (who was Yorkshire chair during part of Rafiq’s time there as a player) said: “I think there’s been odd occasions where words have been said that people may regret afterwards.

“I don’t think it was done on a racist, savage basis. I think there was a lot of – I know people don’t like the word ‘banter’, but I think there could have been a lot of banter in there about it, and I know people don’t like that.”

Graves, who said that he never witnessed any racism at Yorkshire, or received any complaints about it, qualified his comments in that same interview by describing such banter as unacceptable. “The world has changed, society has changed, it’s not acceptable. I understand that, I accept it, full stop,” he said.

Graves, who was unavailable for comment on Monday, is understood to have the full support of the England and Wales Cricket Board as his takeover nears completion.

For their part, Yorkshire are thought to be dismayed at suggestions that they have not moved heaven and earth in an effort to find a viable refinancing partner – not least as board members’ own positions would appear to be under threat given that Graves is believed ultimately to want a whole new board.

In particular, there has been disquiet at remarks by Lord John Mann, the Leeds-born peer, who wrote on ‘X’ that the club refused to talk to three people he advanced as potential solutions. Mann doubled down on that position on Monday, describing Yorkshire’s statement as “factually incorrect”.

After Mann’s initial intervention was followed by Clive Efford MP claiming that Graves’ return would be a “disaster”, the charity Sporting Equals on Monday issued an open letter to the game along similar lines.

Sporting Equals said that such a development would “undermine the progress made” and “send a message that emboldens those who perpetuate the myth that racism is simply banter”.

Following his Observer article, Rafiq stepped up his pressure on Yorkshire’s sponsors on Monday morning, posting on ‘X’: “Hi all, hope you had a good weekend and had time to line up PR responses.

“Can you clarify whether you think the ‘P’ word is banter? Thanks in advance.”

Several sponsors were tagged into the post.