Cricket commentator David Lloyd has issued an apology after Azeem Rafiq on Tuesday (November 17) told a British parliamentary committee that the former England coach had made derogatory remarks about Asian cricketers.
During Tuesday’s testimony, Rafiq, who had initially claimed that he faced “institutional racism” during his stint at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC), opened up on “inhuman” treatment he had received at the county club.
Rafiq cited that members of the media were also guilty of racism and identified Lloyd, now a renowned cricket pundit at Sky Sports, as messaging others in the media and saying: “a clubhouse is the lifeblood of a club and Asian players don’t go in there”.
Subsequently, Lloyd took to Twitter and posted a note which states: “In October 2020, I had a private message exchange with a third party involved in cricket, about a number of topics.”
“In these messages, I referred to allegations about Azeem Rafiq which I had heard from within the game. I also made some comments about the Asian cricket community. I deeply regret my actions, and I apologise most sincerely to Azeem and to the Asian cricket community for doing this, and for any offence caused.
“I am strongly committed to making cricket a more inclusive sport. It is very obvious now that more work needs to be done and I will do everything I can to remove discrimination from the sport I love, and the sport that has been my life for over 50 years.”
In his testimony, Rafiq said he found Lloyd’s comments “disturbing” and described the 74-year-old as “closet racist”.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports, which had done an amazing job to combat racism in the game, has promised to investigate Lloyd’s comments.
“Sky is committed to actively championing inclusion in cricket – and in all sports – and opposing all forms of discrimination,” Sky Sports said in a statement.
(With Reuters inputs)
