Yorkshire Cricket Club lose entire coaching staff to racism row

The Azeem Rafiq racism investigation is still making waves among the staff at Yorkshire Cricket Club as two more high profile members left the club on Friday 3 December. The long-serving director of cricket, Martyn Moxon and the head coach, Andrew Gale, became the latest of a string of staff to part ways with the club in the wake of the scandal.

They follow Roger Hutton who stepped down as chairman in November and Chief Executive Mark Arthur who resigned a week after Hutton. They left due to the widespread condemnation of the club over the handling of the racism investigation.

There has been a new chairman appointed, Kamlesh Patel, who has continued to restructure the club by ‘cleaning out’ more staff alongside Moxon and Gale. The director of medical services, Wayne Morton, and all of the coaching staff he works with have been released, with the club releasing a statement to say they would be replaced “imminently”. There will also be a new director of cricket beginning next week.

Both Morton and Gale had been singled out during testimony by former player Rafiq at the digital, culture, media and sport select committee hearing at Westminster last month. “I don’t think Martyn and Andrew can [continue],” Rafiq said. “I don’t think it’s possible for Yorkshire Cricket Club to move forward with them in there, with them knowing full well what role they played in that institution.”

Yorkshire say the total number of departures is 16, including six members of the backroom medical team provided by Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic.

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. 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.

“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 that is progressive and inclusive. We are determined to learn from the mistakes of the past to become a club which people can trust.”

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