Labour MP Kevin Brennan comes to Azeem Rafiq’s aid, wants Yorkshire to publish the racism report

It has been almost a month that the enquiry committee set up to investigate the allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club by ut’s former captain Azeem Rafiq submitted its report after one year of fact-finding. However, apart from apologising to Rafiq for ‘not appropriate’ behaviour at the Club during his time, the county club has not done anything, let alone making the report public. 

The matter has now reached to politicians and after Hilary Benn, the MP for Leeds Central asking for Yorkshire to publish the reports through her comments, "I trust Yorkshire CCC will now publish this report without delay in the interests of full transparency”, a Labour MP Kevin Brennan has also intervened in the matter. 

Brenan, a former minister during the time of the Labour government and currently a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) in the House of Commons has warned Yorkshire that more harm will be done by them not publishing the report than by making it public. 

"The failure of Yorkshire Cricket club to make public the independent report into racism following complaints from former player Azeem Rafiq is unacceptable," Brennan was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.  

"Only through openness and transparency will racism in sport be eradicated and more harm will be done to the game of cricket and the club by suppressing this report's findings than by making them public and following through on the recommendations,” the MP from Cardiff West added. 

It would be interesting to see the response from Yorkshire as they have not even shared the report with either the England and Wales Cricket Board or the Players’ Association.