Cricket Scotland sets up process to investigate complaints from racism review | Cricket News

The findings of the report in July supported allegations of significant and widespread racism within Scottish cricket; the review was conducted after allegations made by Majid Haq, who is Scotland’s all-time leading wicket taker

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

An independent review found 448 examples of institutional racism in Scottish cricket. Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh have shared their experiences

Cricket Scotland has created an independent process for investigating complaints that emerged from a recent review in racism within the governing body and sport.

Harper MacLeod, a Scottish law firm, will work in conjunction with race equality charity Sporting Equals and campaign group Running Out Racism to review and investigate complaints.

Work is under way and will take “some months”, according to Scottish cricket’s governing body.

As part of Plan4Sport‘s review, 68 concerns were referred for further investigation following allegations of racism in Cricket Scotland.

This included 31 allegations of racism against 15 people, two clubs and one regional association, with some cases referred to Police Scotland and Children First.

The independent report found widespread institutional racism within the governing body, whose board stepped down the day before publication in July.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Abtaha Maqsood was stunned to discover the governance and leadership in Scottish cricket had been found to be institutionally racist

It found allegations of racial abuse, use of inappropriate language, favouritism toward white children from public schools and a lack of a transparent selection process.

The governing body’s interim chief executive, Gordon Arthur, said the announcement marks an “important milestone” in understanding the referrals.

“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,” he said.

The process put in place has been welcomed by Waqqas Ashram from Running Out Racism, who said building trust requires “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,” he added.

“Central to this is ensuring that there are people with experience and understanding of racial inequalities and discrimination supporting any investigation process.”