PRESSURE FOR INDEPENDENT PROBE IN SCOTLAND
CRICKET Scotland is facing further calls for an independent investigation into allegations of racism within the game in this country. Former Scotland internationals Majid Haq and Qasum Sheikh have both gone public over the last week on their experiences of racism during their playing careers in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq affair in England. The governing body in this country have already pledged to bring in an independent expert to investigate any alleged incidents but they are not going far enough, according to lawyer Aamer Anwar, who has been supporting both players. ‘I think Cricket Scotland are in denial and individuals involved with cricketing in Scotland are still in the dark ages,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘They have failed to take action when individuals have chosen to speak out. ‘It’s all very well now that the associations are doing reviews and passing policies and statements, the question I would ask is: “What action have you actually taken to deal with the past? What action have you taken to deal with the racists? What action have you taken to show you genuinely want to eradicate racism?”. Policies are all very well, but they’re on paper.’ Haq has claimed he was treated ‘like a criminal’ after being sent home from the 2015 World Cup for a race-related tweet. Scotland’s all-time leading wicket taker wrote that it was ‘always tougher when you’re in the minority’ after being left out of the team and was immediately flown home from Australia. Haq said: ‘I never played for Scotland again and that was something I used to love. I was disappointed with how I was treated. I was treated like a criminal.’ A Cricket Scotland spokesperson said: ‘Cricket Scotland operates a zerotolerance policy to all forms of racism and discrimination and condemns racism in all its forms. We know there are longstanding issues in sport and wider society around racism and racial inequalities. ‘We know we must play a part in addressing those in our sport. Last week we launched our Equality Action Plan. We will be appointing an independent expert to run that crucial piece of work and are committed to acting upon its findings.’