Azeem Rafiq: 'Never-ending campaign of lies' has put my family at risk, says spinner
- Published
Last year, Rafiq was found to have been the victim of racial harassment and bullying at Yorkshire
Former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq says "a never-ending, co-ordinated campaign of lies" has "caused serious risk" to his family's safety after new allegations were made against him.
Rafiq, 31, has been accused of anti-Semitism, homophobia and fat shaming children by former team-mates and officials, reports the Daily Mail, external.
In a statement, he said the claims were "categorically untrue".
On Thursday, Rafiq said he plans to move abroad, external to protect his family.
Last year, he was found to have been the victim of racial harassment and bullying at Yorkshire. He told MPs that English cricket was "institutionally" racist, sparking the scandal that has dogged English cricket for much of the past two years.
His testimony led to changes in Yorkshire's leadership, Headingley being temporarily stripped of hosting international matches, and reprimands for several current and former players and coaches.
It also led to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) putting together a 12-point plan to tackle racism in the game.
Responding to the latest allegations against him, he said: "I knew as a whistleblower I would come under attack.
"What I did not expect was a never-ending, co-ordinated campaign of lies, which has caused serious risk to me and my family's safety.
"I have been vindicated over and over again, and will not be intimidated by those who seek to silence me."
Earlier this week, Rafiq was among five current and former players reprimanded by the England and Wales Cricket Board for historical social media posts of a racist nature.
He has previously apologised for a Facebook exchange from 2011 containing anti-Semitic messages.