Rafiq was making reference to his own experience with racism in cricket, having been the victim of “constant” racial harassment during his two spells playing at Yorkshire. As a teen at a local club, Rafiq said he was held down by another player and had red wine poured down his throat, a drink which is forbidden under his religion.
He told a DCSM select committee in November that English cricket was “institutionally racist”.
Former English cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent also criticised O’Farrell’s comments, writing on Twitter:
“These outdated views in the game are exactly why we are in this position. Unfortunately the decision makers hold onto these myths…Seriously, the game deserves better.”
O’Farrell’s comments echoed those made by former FA chairman Greg Clarke, who resigned in 2020 after telling the same DCMS select committee that South Asian people prefer careers in IT over those in sport.
The Middlesex head has since apologised for his comments, saying he was “devastated” that the lack of context in his answer led to the “conclusions some have made”.
“I was aiming to make the point that as a game, cricket has failed a generation of young cricketers, in systematically failing to provide them with the same opportunities that other sports and sectors so successfully provide,” he said.
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“Cricket has to take responsibility for these failings. We at Middlesex are no different. We have an academy side that contains in excess of 60 per cent British-born Asian and black young cricketers, and we must take responsibility for ensuring that the route into the professional game is as accessible and appealing as other sports or opportunities.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board has pledged to tackle racism in the game via a 12-point-plan, with “a new, independently operated game-wide whistleblowing system with standardised procedures for investigating and responding to complaints” to be established by the end of February 2022.
Cricket is not the only sport to face accusations of institutional racism in recent months, with a wave of racist comments posted online in the wake of the Euros 2020 tournament.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were targeted with racist abuse online after they missed penalties in the shoot-out at the Euro 2020 final in June 2021.
The comments were met with condemnations by the Football Association, England manager Gareth Southgate and the prime minister.