Yorkshire promotion hopes ended with a 48 point deduction and a £400,000 fine due to Rafik's racist scandal.

The county side expressed disappointment with the decision, which affects players and staff "who are not responsible for the situation" Credit: Pennsylvania/Danny Lawson

Yorkshire have been stripped of 48 points in the County Championship this season due to a racism scandal engulfing the club, nearly ending their illusory hopes of promotion from the Second Division.

< p> While admitting to the four allegations, Yorkshire accepted sanctions from the Cricket Disciplinary Commission but expressed «disappointment» that the points deduction «affects players and club staff who are not responsible for the situation». The penalty also included a fine of £400,000, three-quarters of which were suspended for two years.

After being relegated in 2022, Yorkshire will spend another season in the Second Division. After 10 matches this season, they have won only one but, remarkably, have not completely dropped out of the race for second place in the promotion (Durham, whom they drew this week, are leading the table with 52 points), but the deduction takes them to the bottom of the Second Division, virtually out of reach.

The punishment ends a three-year chapter in the club's history that began with allegations of racism by former player Azim Rafik in August 2020. sponsors turn away from the club. England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould praised Rafiq.

Former Yorkshire cricketer Azim Rafik files lawsuit against the county authorities, claiming that he was a victim of racism. Photo: PA/James Manning

“These were serious allegations of racism for a long period. There is no place for racism in our game and the sanctions announced by the Cricket Disciplinary Commission mark the end of a thorough disciplinary process. No one should experience what Azim Rafiq went through in cricket, and we thank him again for his boldness in speaking out.

“Following this hearing, the Independent Cricket Fairness Commission released its report, which demonstrates how much more needs to be done for our game to end discrimination and become the inclusive sport we all want to be. We must work together like a game to learn from the events leading up to this case and respond carefully to this message.

“We acknowledge that Yorkshire County Cricket Club has made significant progress since Azim stepped forward, first under Lord Patel and then under his current leadership, and aims to become an inclusive club. They have set the club on a path to a much brighter and more inclusive future and we will continue to support the new leadership in Yorkshire to build on the progress made.”

The Cricket Discipline Commission, which is at arm's length from the ECB , the committee included Tim O'Gorman (Chair), Prof. Seema Patel, and Mark Milliken-Smith, KC. Yorkshire was charged with mishandling of investigations, mass deletion of emails, failure to act appropriately on complaints of racism received by the club in 2017 and 2018, and failure to act on the consistent use of racist and/or discriminatory language. in Yorkshire for an extended period.

“At least next year we will know where we are,” said Yorkshire manager Ottis Gibson. “We have four league games left this season, which is 96 points we can play for. We will try to win the next four games. That's all we strive for — to win every game we play.»