Cricket Scotland have implemented a process to investigate complaints following a damning review into racism within the sport.
The body announced it had established a process to appropriately consider and investigate complaints of racism. The process will be led by three independent organisations.
In July, Cricket Scotland was placed under special scrutiny after an independent review carried out by consultancy firm Plan4Sport found 448 examples of institutional racism. The allegations included racial abuse, inappropriate language, favouritism towards white children from public schools and a lack of a transparent selection process - and the entire Cricket Scotland board stepped down on the eve of the report.
As part of the review, 68 individual concerns have been put forward for further investigation including 31 related to allegations of racism against 15 different people, two clubs and one regional association. Law firm Harper MacLeod LLP will work with race equality charities to investigate all complaints.
Cricket Scotland’s interim chief executive Gordon Arthur said: “Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in the process of understanding the full circumstances of these referrals, speaking to any individuals who have been mentioned in referrals and any witnesses to events that have been reported.
“Only when we have investigated fully, will we be able to decide what action might be taken in individual circumstances, to bring closure on these issues.It may be that a number of referrals can be satisfactorily resolved without the need of in-depth investigations and others may take a longer period of time to resolve.
“There are also a significant number to cover, which means not all will be able to commence at the same time. We would therefore ask that the process is respected to enable each investigation to reach conclusion. I am aware how difficult a process this has been for everyone involved, but it has been vital to ensure that the next steps are thorough and deliver fair outcomes, so it has been important to take the necessary time to get these steps right.”
Harper MacLeod LLP’s Bruce Caldow revealed the firm is looking forward to working with bodies like Running Out Racism and Sporting Equals top combat racism. The review was ultimately commissioned last year following allegations from former Scotland internationals Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh.
“We are pleased that Cricket Scotland and sportscotland have put thought into a process for dealing with referrals that specifically takes into account the needs of those who have experienced racial discrimination in cricket,” Running Out Racism’s Waqqas Ashraf said. “Key to building trust in future changes first starts with dealing robustly with past issues.
“Some of the issues raised throughout the review have been raised in the past, with no or limited process, or leading to consequences for the complainants themselves. It is critical therefore that things are done properly going forward.
“Central to this is ensuring that there are people with experience and understanding of racial inequalities and discrimination supporting any investigation process. We will do all we can to support those contributing to the investigations, to help ensure they are treated with compassion and fairness through the process.”
