An independent review has recommended that Sportscotland take special action on Cricket Scotland after 448 cases of institutional racism were uncovered.
Cricket Scotland failed on 29 out of 31 indicators of institutional racism, according to research by consultancy Plan4Sport. The Management Board only partially passed the other two tests.
The findings of the Changing the Boundaries report have been described as a “wake-up call for Scottish sport”. The review was prompted by allegations by former Scotland players Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh in November, and staff spoke to hundreds of people.
From these interviews, 68 individual concerns were referred for further investigation, including 31 allegations of racism against 15 people, two clubs and one regional association. The allegations include racial abuse, inappropriate language, preferential treatment of white children from public schools and the lack of a transparent selection process.
An interim report in April revealed that some incidents had been referred to the police and it is now known that one person has appeared in court over them. Most (62%) of those surveyed had experienced, seen or received reports of racism or other forms of discrimination.
The review also found a lack of diversity or anti-racism training; no consistent process for dealing with racist incidents, people who raised issues “put aside or ignored”, lack of diversity from board level to the coaching staff and within the talent path, and lack of transparency in the selection process.
Plan4Sport chief executive Louise Tideswell said it was clear that Cricket Scotland’s “governance and leadership practices had been institutionally racist”. She added: “Over the period we have seen the courage of so many people who have come forward to share their stories that have clearly impacted their lives. People who loved cricket and kept trying to make progress despite the many setbacks, umpires who put in so many hours despite never getting promoted, and players who saw or heard racism and hostility but always did came back to play.
“The reality is that the organization’s leadership failed to recognize the issues, thereby allowing the development of a culture of racially exacerbated microaggressions. But I would also like to add that while the organisation’s governance and leadership practices were institutionally racist, the same should not be said for cricket in Scotland. There are many outstanding clubs and individuals who offer local programs that truly serve different communities.”
The report’s authors made three key recommendations, including that Cricket Scotland, whose entire board resigned on Sunday, be treated by the National Sport Authority under special measures until at least October 2023.
Immediate recruitment of board members should ensure that the gender ratio does not exceed 60-40 in either case and that at least 25% of the members should be Black, Southeast Asian or other mixed or multi-racial backgrounds. Another important recommendation is that one of Scotland’s five regional bodies, the Western District Cricket Union, be implicated in special measures by Cricket Scotland and immediately suspended from all disciplinary action in relation to its competitions. Its governance should be urgently reviewed.
Cricket Scotland have also been encouraged to tackle the backlog of remittances, with any resulting investigations being carried out by a third party with the appropriate expertise. Sportscotland chief executive Stewart Harris described the results as “deeply worrying and in some cases shocking”.
Louise Tideswell, Managing Director of Plan4Sport and Stewart Harris, Managing Director of Sportscotland. Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA
He added: “As the national sporting authority, we will work with and support Cricket Scotland to help change the culture of Scottish cricket and that must be the focus now. There has been some progress in recent months, but we need to see further steps being taken to address the issues raised, and more importantly, including referrals.
“We will keep all options on the table while holding Cricket Scotland accountable for any recommendations made in this report. Today should also be a wake-up call for all of Scottish sport. Racism is a societal problem and simply not being racist is no longer enough, Scottish sport must now be actively anti-racist.”
Gordon Arthur, interim chief executive of Cricket Scotland, who took up his role earlier this month, issued a “sincere apology” to victims of racism and other discrimination.
“We hope the report gives them reassurance that their voices have been heard and we’re sorry that wasn’t done sooner,” he added. “This report is a turning point for cricket in Scotland and the implementation of its recommendations is a top priority. It’s clear that a major cultural shift needs to happen, and fast.
“The immediate priority must be to agree and implement the independent referral process so that referral investigations can begin. We are committed to building and promoting a culture of inclusivity within the sport of cricket, where racism and discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated, where everyone is welcome and has access to equal opportunities. We need to address the past, fix the sport and make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, and we need everyone’s commitment to make that change happen.”
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