Yorkshire: Azeem Rafiq says Colin Graves' expected return has led to racist abuse

Colin Graves' expected return as Yorkshire chairman "empowers" racists, says former player Azeem Rafiq.

Yorkshire's board has approved a takeover deal from a consortium led by Graves, 75, that members will likely vote in favour of on 2 February.

Graves' previous spell was part of the period for which the club was fined for failing to address the systemic use of discriminatory or racist language.

"I'm broken," said Rafiq, who revealed experiences of racism at the club.

"I'm struggling to understand how we've got here. It's a mix of emotions - a lot of anger and frustration."

Yorkshire chief executive Stephen Vaughan told BBC Sport the club had to accept the Graves-led offer because of its "dire financial situation" and to ensure its work on improving equality, diversion and inclusion could continue.

Graves, who was chair of Yorkshire between 2012 and 2015, will return to the role if his takeover is approved.

He has previously denied knowledge of any racist behaviour during his time at the club but on Thursday apologised "personally and unreservedly" for the Yorkshire racism scandal.

Speaking to BBC Yorkshire, Rafiq said: "I've woken up this morning to a barrage of abuse - racist, Islamophobic - this is what [Graves' return] empowers.

"It empowers those idiots out there who feel they can be openly racist."

Rafiq, who is calling on the club's sponsors to oppose Graves' return, detailed allegations of racism during his two spells at Headingley for the first time in 2020, leading to investigations by the club and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

"The abuse is incredibly triggering, I've taken a lot over the last three years and continue to take it," added Rafiq, who said racism he faced at Yorkshire left him "close to taking my own life".

Rafiq said he has no hope Yorkshire members will vote against Graves' takeover.

"Yorkshire members and Colin Graves are a match made in heaven, I hope they enjoy themselves," he said.

Yorkshire are in a perilous financial position, with debts of £17m scheduled to be repaid by October. Last year the county revealed it needed to repay £14.9m to the family trust owned by Graves following a bailout in 2002.

The club lost sponsors over its handling of the racism scandal and also had to agree compensation packages with sacked staff who won claims for unfair dismissal.

Graves will advance an unsecured loan of £1m to Yorkshire if the takeover goes through and arrange further funding of up to £4m if certain appointments to the new board are approved.

Rafiq said that may get Yorkshire through financial difficulties in the short term but questioned the longer term impact Graves' return will have on cricket.

"It sends the message loud and clear to South Asians that cricket is not a welcoming and safe place for us," he said.

"For a long time I saw Yorkshire as my club, I no longer do."

Last year, the ECB criticised Graves for suggesting some incidents of racism at the county were "banter".

Graves' comments followed six former Yorkshire players being sanctioned with fines and bans by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) after they were found to have used racist language at the club.

In his statement, Graves, who was ECB chair from 2015 to 2020, said he "profoundly" regretted that language and he understood those who regarded his comments as "dismissive or uncaring".

He also promised to continue the equality, diversity and inclusion work done by Yorkshire in recent years, with the ECB saying "these words must be put into action".

Rafiq said if Graves "genuinely cared" then he could have reached out to him "at any point over the last three years".

"There's got to be action here, words are not enough," added Rafiq.

Yorkshire 'given reassurances' - Vaughan

Former chair Lord Patel, who stepped down in March last year, oversaw extensive changes at Yorkshire after taking over amid the fallout from Rafiq's allegations and widespread criticism of how the club handled the case.

Speaking to BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Vaughan said he has been "given reassurances that work will continue at pace" under Graves.

Yorkshire said it spoke to more than 350 potential parties when seeking fresh investment but the Graves-led offer was the "only viable option".

Vaughan said a key reason Yorkshire opted for Graves was that other potential investors, including Indian Premier League franchises, wanted outright ownership instead of keeping it a members' club and that is was not "in the gift of the board" to do that.

However, Graves is understood to be proposing to change Yorkshire from a members' club into a private limited company.

When asked if he could guarantee Yorkshire will remain a members' club, Vaughan said: "I don't know what the future holds and you can never say never.

"The offer we've been exposed to and the offer [the members] will be exposed to has no mention of demutualisation of the members.

"What Colin and his leadership team do in the future is completely down to them but there is no knowledge at all that that is going to be the case."