Man charged after cricket umpire Majid Haq 'racially abused' in Greenock

Scottish cricketer, Majid Haq, umpired the cricket match in Greenock

A 63-year-old man has been arrested and charged over alleged racial abuse at a cricket match in Greenock.

Cricket Scotland said it was investigating an incident which took place on Saturday, following claims that Majid Haq was targeted.

The Scotland cricketer was umpiring the match between Greenock and Stenhousemuir clubs.

Police said a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal and a man would appear in court at a later date.

The match at Greenock Cricket Club on Brisbane Street was subsequently abandoned due to rain with a live stream cut short.

Greenock Cricket Club has issued apology to Majid Haq over the alleged incident and said an individual had been suspended.

It added: "Greenock Cricket Club deplores any such conduct and will fully co operate with the authorities in the investigation"

The match was held at Greenock Cricket Club

Cricket Scotland, which is the sport's governing body, said it was committed to "eradicating racist behaviour and attitudes from our game".

A report released last year found the leadership and governance of Cricket Scotland to be institutionally racist.

Ahead of the release of the 'Changing the Boundaries' report in 2022, the board of Cricket Scotland resigned.

The body announced the creation of a special advisory board and has said progress was being made - a claim rejected by the organisation Running Out Racism.

• Cricket Scotland inquiry finds 448 cases of racism

• Cricket Scotland criticised over 'progress' claims

Mr Haq spoke out about his experiences of racism in his career as part of the independent review.

He said he was "treated like a criminal" after being sent home from the 2015 World Cup - it came after he posted a tweet which said "Always tougher when in a minority #race #colour".

'No place in sport'

Speaking to BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, former Cricket Scotland board member and campaigner for Running Out Racism, Paul Reddish said cricket was in a "worse space" now than last year.

He said: "I really, really hope this is a wake-up call now for those that think that our sport doesn't have issues.

"I hope this is a moment where the sport can just take a breath, step back, have a look at what's happening and come together and help get rid of this evil thing in our sport."

Funding body Sportscotland said: "Racism has no place in sport or society. We are deeply concerned about recent reports in relation to racism in Scottish cricket and it is vital all complaints of this nature are robustly investigated and dealt with appropriately and as a matter of urgency.

"We are in close contact with Cricket Scotland relating to events of this weekend. Sport should be a fun and welcoming place for all, free from racism, discrimination and inequalities and we will continue to support Cricket Scotland as it addresses these issues."