Indian fans at the Edgbaston Stadium on Monday complained about racist abuses being hurled at them on Day 4 of the rescheduled 5th Test between India and England.
Azeem Rafiq, a former British Asian cricketer whose name has become synonymous with the fight against racism in the country after he took on his former club Yorkshire, shared the ordeal of Indian fans who had tweeted out their grievances.
Taking immediate cognisance, the Edgbaston officials along with the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) responded to his tweets and apologised. They also confirmed that there’ll be an investigation into the matter.
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'We’re incredible sorry to read this and do not condone this behaviour in any way. We’ll be investigating this ASAP', said Edgbaston.ECB on the other hand, said, 'we are very concerned to hear reports of racist abuse at today's Test match. We are in contact with colleagues at Edgbaston who will investigate. There is no place for racism in cricket'
While an Indian fan on social media said that racist slurs were directed at them at the Eric Hollies stand, another stated that they faced 'some of the worst abuse ever during a match
'Stuart Cain, Chief executive of Edgbaston, too said that the officials will talk to the stewards in the Eric Hollies stadium to establish what happened.'
No body should be subject to any form of abuse at Edgbaston, so once we've got all the facts, we'll make sure this issue is addressed swiftly' he added.