Eight MPs speak out on Cricket Board of England and Wales’ failure to tackle systemic racism in the game since 1997 Racial Equality in Cricket report; ECB declines to comment on motion tabled in House of Commons
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 09/03/21 11:02pm
A group of MPs claim the ECB has “failed to address the institutional racism that is present at all levels of the game” of cricket.
Eight Members of Parliament, including the former Labour leader and now Independent Jeremy Corbyn, have tabled a motion in the House of Commons that “expresses its serious concern at the underrepresentation of African, Caribbean and Asian coaches, umpires and match officials at all levels of Cricket in England and Wales”.
The motion “recalls the 1997 report Racial Equality in Cricket by the Cricket Board of England and Wales (ECB), which promised to tackle racism in cricket” and “expresses its alarm at the subsequent failure to address the institutional racism that is present at all levels of the game”.
The group have also condemned the failure of the ECB to appoint any African, Caribbean and Asian umpires and match officials to their panels and say they deplore “the bullying, racial harassment and victimisation suffered by African, Caribbean and Asian players, umpires and coaches within first-class cricket”.
5:56 Former umpire John Holder explains to Sky Sports News why he is taking legal action against the ECB, alleging unfair dismissal on the grounds of racial discrimination
The ECB declined to comment on the motion when contacted by Sky Sports News, and they are in the midst of a legal battle with former umpires Ismail Dawood and John Holder, who are suing them for alleged racial discrimination.
After being accused of “systemic racism” last year, the ECB said it had set up a review into how it could more inclusive, and the motion has called upon the governing body “to support and fully fund African, Caribbean and Asian Cricket Associations to remedy the historical injustice of race discrimination that has excluded ethnic minority cricket players, umpires, coaches, managers, and teams from reaching their true potential and position in the game”.
They also urged the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to make anti-racism and equality and diversity targets within cricket a ministerial priority, and to report annually on the progress being made.
The sponsors of the motion were Independent MP Claudia Webb, Labour’s Diane Abbott, Aspana Begum, the former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, Kim Johnson and Bell Ribeiro-Addy. It was also signed by Corbyn and Labour’s Ian Lavery.