ECB requests £500,000 fine and points deductions for Yorkshire

At a hearing in London on Tuesday, lawyers representing the governing body called for the club to be hit with substantial punitive measures but stressed that the ECB is not looking to put the county out of business

The ECB have asked for Yorkshire to be served with £500,000 in fines and a series of points deductions as punishment for their actions relating to Azeem Rafiq's racism allegations.

At a hearing in London on Tuesday (June 27), lawyers representing the governing body called for the club to be hit with substantial punitive measures but stressed that the ECB is not looking to put the county out of business.

"We are looking for a reasonable approach and are trying to strike a balance," Jane Mulcahy KC told a Cricket Discipline Committee panel.

Among the proposed sanctions for Yorkshire are:

- A £100,000 fine for the deletion of data

- A £100,000 fine for the mishandling of a report into Rafiq's allegations

- A £150,000 fine for not taking adequare action over matters of racist behaviour at Headingley

- A £150,000 fine relating to the systemic use of racist language by players

A large proportion of the fines (£350,000) would be suspended for three years.

^{The ECB have made their requests for Yorkshire's sanctions (Getty Images)}

Additionally, the ECB's lawyers argued for a County Championship points deduction of 48 to 72 points - equating to as much as three maximum-points victories in the competition. Similar deductions of four to six points in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup were also proposed.

The CDC panel will make their decisions public in July. Any financial penalty will impact hard on Yorkshire, who are facing a £3.5million shortfall and are in the process of seeking external refinancing of debt.

There is still around £15million owed to the Colin Graves Trust.

In a statement, Yorkshire - who pleaded guilty to the charges laid against them by the ECB - called for "a reasonable sanction which takes into account our acceptance of the charges, YCCC's current financial position and the robust work we have undertaken to build the foundations for a club which is truly inclusive and welcoming to all."

"The club has made significant investments to put in place best practice processes and procedures, as well as driving equality, diversity and inclusion through a new framework and taking important steps to improve the matchday experience to encourage greater inclusivity and tackle discrimination," the statement continued.

^{Headingley is due to host the third Ashes Test (Getty Images)}

"This is in addition to the positive work we have done to transform our Performance Pathway and ensure young cricketers from all backgrounds can take part regardless of their economic circumstances.

"We hope that any sanctions are reflective of the circumstances the club is in today and do not serve to hinder our ongoing commitment to create a brighter future for all associated with Yorkshire."

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