All 16 Yorkshire County Club coaching staff leave club after Azeem Rafiq's racism scandal

The Yorkshire Cricket County Club's (YCCC's) racism row seems to get uglier by the day as the latest update is that all their coaching staff have left the club. Director of cricket Martyn Moxon, head coach Andrew Gale and 14 others left Yorkshire on Friday.

The racism row has begun ever since Azeem Rafiq made shocking allegations against the English County Cricket Club.

Yorkshire County Club issues statement

"We can confirm that Martyn Moxon, Director of Cricket, and Andrew Gale, First XI Coach, have left the Club today (3 December), in addition to all members of the coaching team.

A new Director of Cricket will be appointed imminently, alongside a new coaching team which is being recruited.

The backroom medical team, external services provided by Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic, has also left the Club. An interim medical team is also in the process of being appointed.

We thank everyone who is leaving for their service. Further announcements will be made in due course.

Professor The Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, Chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said:

Significant change is required at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and we are committed to taking whatever action is necessary to regain trust. The decisions announced today were difficult to make, but are in the best interests of the Club. Without making important changes to how we are run, we cannot move on from the past to become a culture which is progressive and inclusive.

We want to make Yorkshire County Cricket Club a place for everyone, from all backgrounds. To do this, we need to rebuild our culture and instil positive values in everyone associated with Yorkshire. We are determined to learn from the mistakes of the past to become a Club which people can trust.

We are hoping to announce a new Director of Cricket in the coming days. We have a huge rebuilding job to do but we are confident that this heralds a step forward towards a brighter future"."

Azeem Rafiq racism row

The Azeem Rafiq racism row began in 2018 when the Pakistani born cricketer made shocking allegations against his former Yorkshire County Club teammates. However, although the allegations were made in 2018, a formal inquiry into the matter was only launched in September 2020 by Yorkshire after Rafiq went to the press.

With Yorkshire having admitted that Rafiq was subjected to racism on several occasions, the ECB suspended the club from hosting international or other major matches at its Headingley stadium. Rafiq has made allegations against several members of the cricketing fraternity, including high-profile figures such as former England captain Michael Vaughan and English opening batter Alex Hales.