Racism experienced by 14% of professional cricketers

Depressing, unsurprising but at the same time ‘encouraging’ article on The Guardian site, in so much as it is good that racism in cricket is being investigated and highlighted more since Azeem had the courage and support to raise how he had been treated.

Don’t believe for one minute though that there aren’t a lot more that have suffered discrimination

  • More than 50 players report discrimination in Fica survey
  • 49% tempted to reject central contract for domestic league
The Guardian

Original Article

More than 50 professional cricketers from around the world have said they have been the victims of racial discrimination within the sport.

A global survey of more than 400 current players from 11 countries conducted by the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations revealed that 14% felt they had been discriminated against based on their race. Almost two-thirds of the victims also said they felt they did not receive adequate support from their boards afterwards. In response to a separate query, 16% said they had felt “bullied, intimidated, or threatened” by their governing body, club or league.

“It’s clear that cricket has a long way to go to ensure that it is a safe and inclusive sport for all,” said Fica’s chief executive, Tom Moffat. The report does not provide a breakdown of whether or not the reports of racial discrimination were concentrated in particular countries, but acknowledged that English cricket in particular has “faced significant challenges” in recent times, with “the game brought into the national spotlight after multiple players came forward to highlight their experiences of racism and discrimination within the game”.

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