This is what needs to happen now. Many people, including Rafiq himself, have proven to be racist. They can be punished appropriately as and when. It's been done and nothing can change that. The pressing issue is now how quickly reform in the game can start. This is where efforts need to go.
Give over, he's dressed up as 2pac man.
I'm not sure id be saying two or three messages on Facebook is the same as years of sustained bullying and racism like.
Totally agree Rafiq if you like has done his job now it's time for cricket to start to make changes.
Rafiq was racist indirectly, its wrong and should know better but is a 19 year old talking to a friend and unfortunately most people will have stereotyped along racist tropes throughout their youth. Yorkshires racism on the other hand was direct and sustained over a period of time in front of Rafiq and other players of ethnic origin. That's the difference. Both are wrong and should be called out, but one was meant to deliberately target individuals with disparaging comments and actions, it also extends further than just Rafiq receiving this treatment. It will be a disgrace if people shift focus to a couple of messages from a teen, compared to institutionalised racism that created a hostile atmosphere for the BAME community at Yorkshire. It's whataboutism being used as a defence for Yorkshires ill-discipline.
I don’t think anyone really believes that, they’re just delighted they can point out hypocrisy. As if that’s the most important thing.
I don’t think a couple of racist tweets from Oli Robinson or Rafiq a decade ago proves that the
Do you think so? I have been in here almost since this message board began and I haven’t always covered myself in glory particularly 15 years ago with unpleasant comments towards others. Most people on this thread will have a less than perfect past. I would like to think I have matured and learned as I have got older. Similarly are Rafiq, Oli Robinson abhorrent people now for a couple of racist messages they sent a decade ago as teenagers? It all depends on whether they have learned and matured in my opinion.
It's the tactic I'm afraid, we saw it with George Floyd and BLM.
I haven’t seen one poster suggest that we ignore racism on the back of these new allegations. What gets people’s back up however , is that racism only seems to go one way . We have a man here stating his life is in ruins because of racism yet within a day we find out that he had also made racist comments . Do we really think that these Facebook messages will have been the only racist comments that Rafiq had made in his life ? You’d have to be pretty naive to think this .
Why? Why should you be beyond reproach? the things still happened
The fact that all you knew prior to 5pm yesterday was that there was a Pakistani cricketer that had been the victim of systematic racist abuse day in day out from white cricketers, commentators, management. You knew that the day after his child died he faced the most inhumane treatment at the the hands of the white coach of YCCC. That’s all you knew.
